The real Tuscan Artisan Porchetta

Tuscan porchetta: the scent of tradition in a sandwich

The queen of simple street food, but also a product of a refined gastronomic tradition. Perfect in sandwiches, but also sliced and served hot. It is the porchetta, the undisputed protagonist of the butcher's shop in Central Italy. A delicious filling par excellence, porchetta is the ideal accompaniment to any picnic on the Roman hills or in the Tuscan hinterland.

However, if it is not always possible to go on an adventure, just a click is enough to have the scent of the handcrafted porchetta for sale online. The ancient diatribe on small-large variations between regional recipes is destined to remain open forever. Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, Marche and even Abruzzo contend for the title of land of artisanal porchetta, but then again… what does it matter if each variant on sale satisfies a different need?

Whether the crust is crunchy or juicier, whether fennel and other flavorings are added or not, whether the pork is cooked with or without the bone, whether the livers are added: the Italian cookbook has a special porchetta for all tastes. So, if in Tuscany it is customary to de-bone the pork and keep the excess meat for other preparations, some Umbrian versions of the artisanal porchetta prefer to cook the pork on the bone.

What is the right method? It doesn't matter to attribute primates, as long as they're both delicious and available online. Even within the same regional recipe, there are also several variations. The Tuscan tradition, for example, is usually characterized by a wise and generous use of aromas, but it is not uncommon to come across the sale of Tuscan porchetta prepared by hand with few and right scents. however it can be traced back to a single step of its preparation, but rather it is the result of a long and tested process.

Artisan recipe of Tuscan porchetta

First universal ingredient: slow cooking. Rest, cooking and more rest: the preparation phases of Tuscan porchetta are necessarily long, as they allow the meat to remain moist and juicy, the rind to become crunchy and the aromas to properly season the filling.

A self-respecting artisan porchetta must then be prepared with highly selected, strictly national meats. Some artisan laboratories debon the pork by hand for Tuscan porchetta, so as to be able to preserve livers, entrails, ears or other parts: nothing is thrown away from the pig, right?

As for the spices, at the base of the aroma of Tuscan porchetta we find the traditional aromas of this recipe: sea salt, black pepper, garlic, rosemary.

The aromas are massaged and slowly absorbed by the meat, before completing the masterpiece in the oven - strictly wood-fired -, with a cooking that varies, depending on the size of the pig, from 5 to 12 hours. Finally, the cooling that compacts the meat and dries it of excess fat for as many hours. At this point, the Tuscan artisan porchetta is also ready for online sale. If not eaten immediately, the porchetta should be kept in the refrigerator, perhaps wrapped in a cloth to keep it soft. Porchetta triumphs among the typical Tuscan cured meats also for its use.

In addition to the traditional filling of take-away sandwiches, to be swallowed with two gotti of house red, the Tuscan artisanal porchetta is also perfect as an appetizer. Cut into cubes or sliced and served hot, porchetta, even if for sale online and not served from the usual roadside kiosk, is a real weapon of seduction, triggered thanks to a simple but unmistakable scent.