| Cold Cuts |
Gioi Brawn (Soppressata)PAT – Traditional Agri-Foodstuffs
The meat is cut with the knife by hand, flavored with salt and spices (chili pepper, wild fennel, and pepper) and mixed until the ingredients are well amalgamated. The mixture settles for a few minutes and then is bagged into natural bowels together with a piece of "lard" of the same length of the bowel. Once the product is ready, if it is not immediately eaten, is preserved in olive oil or lard during the whole summer. It has a red-brown color with a white heart: it is the lard. It has an intense aroma of pork meat enhanced by the natural fat of the lard and a fragrance of spices. It is still almost exclusively produced for the family consumption. It is obtained from the best pork cuts: tenderloin, leg, loin, and shoulder. Other ingredients are Cilento extra-virgin olive oil, salt, wine, and dried spices. All the ingredients are packed into natural pork bowel. Before undergoing maturation, the product is smoked with firewood. The maturation period lasts at least 40 days. |
The historical information on Gioi brawn date back to 1835, as demonstrated by Compendio di Agricoltura Pratica: "...among the best brawns there are Noia brawns; however, Cilento brawns are excellent, especially those produced in Gioi, in the Principality of Citra...". Unlikely many others, this brawn is made with prime-quality meat which gets even cleaned from small nerves.
