Time.news – Whatever the plans for Christmas lunch or New Year’s Eve dinner, one thing is certain: cured meats will be the king of our tables. In fact, between appetizers, first and second courses, they will be the protagonists of the festive menus.
On the other hand, cured meats continue to be one of the favorite food products of Italians, as also attested by the latest data from Assica – the Industrial Association of Meats and Cured Meats – which in 2021 recorded a marked recovery in consumption, with volumes up by +5.4% in Italy and by 15.2% in exports.
And while the countdown proceeds which brings us closer to the end of the year celebrations, while we wrap festoons around the Christmas trees and arrange the nativity scene figurines, we continue to bring a taste for tradition to the table too. Local culinary heritage, cured meats cannot be missing from the Christmas tables of Italians.
It starts with the appetizer, which inaugurates the table, e the undisputed protagonists of the overture are the cold cuts: raw ham and cooked ham, but also bresaola, salami, coppa, bacon, culatello and, why not, a few tasty slices of mortadella, make up the platter.
And for the first, by now not only in the North is it customary to serve a nice plate of tortellini or cappelletti, with their filling of raw ham and, perhaps, even mortadella, according to the most traditional Bolognese recipe. This fresh stuffed pasta from Emilia has by now a fixed place in the hearts of all Italians.
But you don’t live on Christmas only with prosciutto and mortadella: fundamental ingredient of dumplingsgnocchi in broth typical of Trentino-Alto Adige, is speck, which goes great with stale bread, milk, eggs and chives.
Ready to move on to the second? Here they come in all their glory stuffed capon or guinea fowl, to crown the most delicious meal of the year. This is the time for poultry meat, and bacon or cooked ham combined with citrus scents and dried fruit are the central ingredient of a filling without equal for what are among the most typical dishes of this particular day of the year.
Guinea fowl and capon can be served with a side dish of baked potatoes or, perhaps, accompanied by a fresh salad. If instead we look further south, comes from Sicily thefalsomagro – also known as brociolone – a beef roll in which the filling is dominated by mortadella, together with minced meat, lard, caciocavallo and eggs. The slipper in the sauce is a must.
But at the table there is no lack of room for the innovation of taste either, side by side with the valorisation of valuable products of our territories. In fact, traditional dishes can also be accompanied by unexpected recipes, to surprise the taste buds of guests. Figs and raw ham are delicacies that have always gone hand in hand. Why not give this winning combination a makeover, for example reinterpreting a dish like cheesecake in a savory key perfect as an appetizer, or perhaps for an aperitif. All you need is a little inventiveness, replace the classic Digestives in the base with savory biscuits, spread a generous layer of ricotta and robiola on top and top it all off with slices of raw ham and fig wedges.
Our country can boast a real production culture linked to cured meats, with high standards, quality products and a long history behind it, which is reflected in the centrality that cured meats play in the consumption habits of Italians. A great tradition, in fact, distinguishes this sector, the flagship of Made in Italy which does not show any concessions even in the face of an unfavorable scenario such as the current one.
In 2021, again according to the Assica elaboration, all major cured meat categories saw growth. In first place in the consumption ranking, cooked ham, which boasts a per capita availability for consumption of 4.6 kg per year (for a share equal to 27.1% of the total of cured meats) and a growth of 4. 8%. Crude oil follows, which however stands out over the former for a growth of +6.1%. In terms of percentage increase, however, bresaola conquers the podium, with a variation of +6.7% between 2020 and 2021.