Carne Salada del Trentino

Appearance & taste

Each piece comes from a single muscle and weighs 0.2 to 6 kg. Whole, it is irregular, elongated or conical, depending on the cut; in a casing or elastic net it becomes more cylindrical or rectangular. Natural seams are allowed. The meat is firm and compact, with a certain bite.

When cut it is evenly ruby red, and on the outside it can turn dark red. It smells subtle and characteristic, tastes moderately aromatic of matured meat and has a slightly spicy aroma. Carne Salada contains at least 20.5 % protein, at most 7 % fat and at most 4 % salt. It is sold whole, in portions or sliced; for slices, the two ends of the piece are removed.

Production

The cuts used are topside (fesa), rump tip (punta d’anca), silverside (sottofesa) and eye of round (magatello) from the boned leg of cattle aged 18 to 48 months. Visible and intramuscular fat and the outer tendons are removed without cutting into the meat, so that the salt spreads evenly.

In containers made of stainless steel or another food-safe material, the meat is sprinkled at 0 to 7 °C, by hand or by machine, with salt (2 to 2.8 % of the meat weight), black pepper and garlic. Bay leaf, rosemary, juniper berries, nutmeg, anise and sage may be added, as well as up to 0.6 % sugar at the start; colourings and ingredients containing gluten or allergens are prohibited. Brine may not be injected. The salt draws the natural liquid out of the meat; in this way a brine gradually forms that takes on the aromas of the spices and passes them on to the meat. During curing, which is to last at least 15 days, the meat may be pressed, massaged and restacked. It can then be filled into a casing or net.

Origin & history

The area comprises the Autonomous Province of Trento without the municipalities of Castello Tesino, Cinte Tesino and Pieve Tesino. Meadows, pastures and the mountainous landscape favoured livestock farming, and according to the specification beef has always been a staple of the diet. Since at least the 18th century, outsiders passing through Trentino with livestock had to slaughter a fifth of their animals and sell them to the local population. Curing in brine persisted as a way of making this temporary surplus of meat last through the year. The method is already described by Columella in ancient Rome and was almost entirely abandoned elsewhere. According to the specification, the humid southerly winds from the Adriatic and Lake Garda, the Òra, contribute to the formation of the brine and to the curing.

A 15th-century collection of recipes, a copy of which was found in Riva del Garda, describes a “Carbonata di carne salata”; an anonymous 16th-century work contains a recipe for “Coch di Carne Salada del Trentino”. Two cookbooks, published in 1858 and 1904, made Carne Salada better known in Italy and the Habsburg Empire. According to the specification, guides to typical products have named it one of the most typical specialities of Trentino since the middle of the 20th century.