TO Castelsantangelo sul Nera, lowercase village of Macerata, something resisted the fury of the earthquake in Central Italy: the monument to the ciauscolo, salami symbol of the Marches which in the village is celebrated every summer with a special day.

The story of the ciauscolo
Present for centuries in the Marche region, it is a native of the Macerata Sibillini Mountains where, since Roman times "… the` cult 'of pig farming was rooted, with a black coat and very thin, and therefore not very suitable for making hams "says Ugo Bellesi, historian of gastronomy. "For this the peasants preferred grind the meat of the thighs and created a fatty and spicy sausage, fermented with the heat of the fireplace and left to mature in caves ".

The spreadability
The main feature of the ciauscolo is the spreadability: the slice is soft and yielding and spreads easily on bread, turning into a greedy and nutritious snack. Its creaminess comes from the dough, from fat parts of the pig (bacon, shoulder, ham and loin trimmings), and dal grinding in 3 steps, through smaller and smaller holes (up to 2-3 mm). The ciauscolo has delicate scent or decisive and spicy, depending on the aromas used (salt, ground black pepper, wine, crushed garlic); the taste is savory, never rancid. In 2009 the salami obtained the Igp certification but not all producers agree on the specification and some have not joined the consortium.

Ciascolo: a PGI
On the market, therefore, there are i ciauscoli Igp, made by larger companies; and those of small artisans, which they must call their sausages with fancy names (morbidello, vissuscolo …), often more faithful to tradition: for example, they use only local pigs and not from other regions and fatty parts in abundance to give more softness. The ciauscolo is irresistible natural, smeared on bread, grows, flat bread or toast, perhaps with pecorino. It also goes well with grilled vegetables and to buffalo mozzarella. It is versatile in the kitchen for flavor the first courses (risotto, pasta with artichokes, peas or asparagus, ravioli, cappellacci, soups and legume creams), in the cupcakes of potatoes and quiche, on the Pizza, in the stuffed.

February 2022
Marina Cella