Between local salamis – that in recent years have become less salty and fat, especially when it comes to PDO and PGI – some represent the excellence of a specific region. It is the case of the finocchiona, guaranteed IGP, where theGeographical Indication that is Protected is that of Tuscany.

Unlike bresaola, for example, which is produced in various areas of Northern Italy but only that of the Valtellina is Igp, thea finocchiona is Igp in the round: it is produced only in the land of Dante, where it stands out among the salamis for his unparalleled taste since the times of the Middle Ages. THE Igp products they are by nature intimately linked to the territory they come from, and the finocchiona is so virtuous. In fact the 42 companies that are currently part of the Finocchiona IGP protection consortium, born in 2015 following the European recognition of the IGP brand for this sausage, they work in synergy with other local realities, with the benefit of the earth and the economy.

We are talking in particular of the connection between the sausage, i flowers and honey, but not in terms of culinary combinations (the cured meats however they combine masterfully with fruit, did you know?). So: let's start with the basics. The name of this salami derives from the particular taste given by the use of wild fennel that nature provided in abundance in the Tuscan fields and hills. Today this herb is no longer so widespread in nature and therefore is cultivated. The success of this product, in Italy and abroad, is given in recent years above all by his biological version. "The search for the ingredients in line with this market demand prompted companies to find ingredients of this type: in my case, for the organic fennel, the collaboration with a local organic farm was born, which has a cultivation of about 25 hectares of this plant "- says the President of the Alessandro Iacomoni Consortium.

"An agri-food product with Protected Geographical Indication has a close link with the territory and its ecosystem, and farmers must find a balance with the environment thinking of organic as the way to preserve nature and with it health. THE chemical products already used in cultivation many of these balances broken, among which a very important element of this system which is the bee, fundamental for the pollination and maintenance of biodiversity ", he adds Giuseppe Genca, the organic fennel grower "So when a local beekeeper asked me to host this year about forty beehives in the fennel field, it was more than welcome. This insertion will not only give the possibility to have a better pollination of the fennel plants, but will also allow to keep the territory under control. In fact bees are important sentinels for the state of health of nature. Moreover, thanks to the hives installed, we could produce fennel honey, which is a specialty in the beekeeping sector. "

ISHere is how honey also comes from Finocchiona, the only real natural sweetener that defends us from pesticides and thanks to finocchiona the bees are protected, which last spring in Tuscany they risked dying of hunger: "The number of bees this year has been drastically reduced due to bad weather, worsening an already worrying situation, not only in our region but all over Italy, due to pollution and pesticide use. The crisis does not only fall on beekeepers but is fundamental in the balance of agriculture – he has declared the President of Arpat (Reg. Association of the Tuscan Bee Producers), Duccio Pradella – The insertion of the hives in the fennel fields, which blooms in summer, provides the bees with one more source of sustenance. We can say that thanks to Finocchiona Igp we will have the production of a "new" monoflora honey, a production that will not be immediate but certainly a welcome novelty ". (Here are 5 other ways we can help the bees survive).

The result is that savoring this sausage the cuthe recipe has remained almost unchanged in centuries, is no longer an act of pure gluttony, but also friendship towards the environment and therefore of ourselves. But what is this recipe, then? First of all, the finocchiona is produced with The best selections of pork of Italian genealogy. In addition to meat, the production disciplinary provides seeds and / or fennel flowers, garlic, salt and pepper. The traditional recipe may provide dough also the Red wine.

The amounts of each ingredient can to vary within a well-defined range, allowing producers a touch of craftsmanship and imagination in customizing their own recipe and the final result according to their tradition which, in most cases, goes back to that handed down from their ancestors.

'La Finocchiona Igp, if you like Tuscany with character ", is the motto of the Consortium. And in the taste of those lands it certainly also stands out for protecting one's own nature.

Carola Traverso Saibante
September 2019

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