With its fairytale landscapes, South Tyrol allows you to enjoy a varied experience, thus appreciating the absolute versatility of local products such as speck. In Val Venosta Valley we had the opportunity to discover it firsthand through 3 different stages, but linked by a single common denominator.

Alto Adige: as versatile as speck

The speck it is not just a salami. Speck is part of the life of every South Tyrolean, not only because it is most likely brought to the table every day. It is not uncommon, in fact, that speck is produced in the family, according to traditions handed down from generation to generation. This is why we can say that there is no speck, but speck.

Let's start with a farm. In Parcines, a small town in the province of Bolzano, we visited that of Oberbrunnhof, where we were greeted by the hostess Caroline for the preparation of the canederli, with speck, of course. The farm has been owned for five generations by the family of Manuel, her husband, who is fond of agriculture, but also of meat processing and production of speck, salami, milk and bread. An innate passion, which testifies to love for one's land and roots. The farm is a place that allows you to find the Welfare through simple activities, which can also be very hard but allow you to get in touch with the nature in unexpected ways. Here Manuel produces a small amount of speck, but often what is a small family business can be transformed into something bigger.

And so we move on to our second stage: the factory Rinner. It was 1955 when Alexander Rinner's parents founded a small butcher's shop in Laces. Today Alexander welcomed us into what is now his company, to find out how speck is produced. First, however, it is time to try a local custom: theHalbmittag, or the mid-morning snack, between 10.30 and 11. "You can't go to the mountains without a piece of speck, cheese and a small knife," Alexander tells us.
In his company, which specializes in the production of top-quality speck, we found out more about the South Tyrol quality label.

What is Speck Alto Adige PGI?

Today the South Tyrolean Speck Protection Consortium involves as many as 29 producers of Speck Alto Adige PGI. The denomination of Protected Geographical Indication, obtained in 1996, immediately clarifies a concept: the success of this speck lies precisely in its geographical origins. In South Tyrol, where the Mediterranean meets the alpine culture, it is possible to create a special product, primarily thanks to the essential mountain air. But what characteristics must a speck have to be defined as a Speck Alto Adige PGI?

The Speck Alto Adige PGI it is exclusively a ham produced in South Tyrol from pork legs according to the traditional process. Little smoke and a lot of fresh mountain air are the two production techniques that meet in the production of this speck: on the one hand, the one used in Mediterranean countries, which involves letting the pig air is salt, and on the other, that typical of the countries of Northern and Central Europe, where the spices is smoking. The choice of the raw material, the curing times (minimum 6 months) and the quality control (read the detailed specification here) are fundamental.

But there is not just one type of speck. What makes each speck different are precisely the spices, which allow each producer to express their own creativity.

A recipe with speck

Speck, as we have said, is extremely versatile. It is eaten in slices, in small pieces, it is used in traditional recipes (not only the South Tyrolean ones, here also the bacon and egg it is almost always made with speck), but it can also become an ingredient to be experimented in haute cuisine dishes.

We discovered it at the restaurant Flurin of Glurns, the smallest municipality in South Tyrol with only 894 inhabitants. Among the ancient walls that enclose this truly unique village, stands the Flurinsturm, a tower whose foundations date back to the early thirteenth century. In 2018, Fred Hermann Ortler and his son Thomas they transformed it into a restaurant with suites where modern design blends perfectly with the structure of the ancient building. Likewise, the kitchen combines traditional (and seasonal) ingredients with an innovative and sustainable culinary philosophy. Here too we found speck, which finds new consistencies in a first course to be replicated at home, with the recipe that chef Thomas Ortler gave us.

Spelled cappelletti with mountain cheese, cabbage and Speck Alto Adige PGI

Ingredients for 4 servings

For fresh pasta
230 g of flour 00
70 g of spelled flour
3 eggs

For the stuffing
100 g of mountain cheese or any savory medium-aged cheese
50 g of fresh cream
1 yolk

To complete the dish
100 g of savoy cabbage
70 g of Speck Alto Adige PGI

Preparation

Start working the dough, mixing the two flours with the eggs by hand or with an electric mixer. Knead the dough until you have a homogeneous ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

For the filling, cut the cheese into small cubes and melt it in the hot cream. Once melted, remove from heat add the yolk, mixing well with a whisk. Put the mixture in the fridge for at least two hours.

In a pan, melt a knob of butter and add the cabbage and onion cut into small pieces. Cook over medium heat, always adding a little water, until the cabbage is soft (it will take about 15 minutes). Finish with a drop of wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. With a teaspoon add small balls of the mixture on the pastry. Fold the dough for a long time, close well and cut half-moons with the pastry cutter. Join the two ends of the crescent to reach the shape of the cappelletto. Cook in salted boiling water for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the speck into strips and place it in a cold pot. Turn up the heat until the bacon fat comes out. Let the speck fry in its own fat until crispy. Remove it and set it aside on a piece of kitchen paper.

Add a ladle of cooking water to the pan with the speck fat and sauté the cappelletti drained in this emulsion together with the previously stewed cabbage. Serve the sautéed cappelletti, adding the speck and a sprinkling of fresh pepper.