Where would we be without the generous pig? The under-appreciated swine provides flavors that are precious to life. I do not want to think about living in a world without prosciutto, mortadella, or guanciale, to name a few. So I won’t. In the I Ham What I Ham series, I will take the time to revere this creature who has contributed so much to cuisine around the world. In the past installments, we brought you meats from Emilia-Romagna, Campania, and Veneto. Now, we head to Tuscany.
Tuscany is known for its beautiful picturesque landscapes, vineyards upon vineyards, and bread that has no salt in it. Yes, they do without salt in their bread. This is for another day. There is however no shortage of cured meats that bring massive amounts of flavor to the region (and the bread). Allow me to introduce you to finocchiona. Hmmmm…let’s start with phonetics. That tricky “cch” combination – three consonants in a row, Italians! Think of “cch” as a hard K sound. So, we have FIN – O – KEY – ONA. Not too hard. Now that you can actually sound say it, let’s take a deeper look at finocchiona.
What is finocchiona?
This particular gift from the pig is a traditional Tuscan salami known for its prevalent fennel seasoning.
fennel gives flavor an name to finocchiona
Where does it come from?
As stated above, if we are reading closely, finocchiona hails from Tuscany and is said to date back to medieval times. Now, who doesn’t love a good epic tale regarding food. I for one sure do. Researching this particular salumi, I came across a story of intrigue, invention, and thievery. I only found this mentioned in one research resource, and didn’t go to the library to dig deeper. So let us keep this in mind, but the story does lend itself to a chuckle.
Picture it, Prato, a florid Tuscan city, known for its textile trade, located roughly 23 kilometers northwest of Florence. A young “gentleman” with sticky fingers stole a stick of salami from a market stall and ran like the wind. Once out of sight, he hid his treasure in wild fennel. After a bit of time he came back to retrieve his salami and, low and behold, it had taken on the flavors of the fennel. From there he became a local legend and movie star – wait that’s not true. Just adding a bit more flavor to the story.
More likely, fennel was added to the pork mixture as black pepper was so expensive and fennel was not. This story, however, isn’t as much fun.
How is finocchiona made?
Finocchiona is made from cuts of pork such as the cheek, shoulder and belly, ground finely with fennel, salt, and pepper. Some recipes call for a bit of red wine as well. It is then fermented and dry-cured for a period of not less than 5 months.
What’s in a name?
This salami’s name takes on the denomination of its main flavor source – finocchio, aka fennel. It’s not rocket science, but it makes a lot of sense.
How do you use finocchiona?
It is most often you will find finocchiona on a beautiful board of Tuscan meat and cheese. Although I haven’t tried cooking with this salami per se, I did happen upon a few recipes I wouldn’t mind trying. Or maybe you can try them and report back!
Pasta al limone with crispy finocchiona, chanterelle and parmesan
Skillet Pizza with Caramelized Fennel, Onions and Finocchiona Salame
Shirred Eggs with Crispy Finocchiona
And that is all I have to say about finocchiona, a savory, versatile, delicious nugget produced from our friend, the pig. If you are traveling to Tuscany soon, please let us know. We would love to introduce you to this regional delight.
