Porchetta!

Before moving to Rome, I recall telling my friends back in the United States what I was most excited for when asked.   

Salty Meats.

We all know salty meats usually rank in everyone’s  “Top 3 things you look forward to when going to Italy.”  However, unlike most, it tops my list.  Sure, I love the art. Sure, I love the history.  But when I get a slice of salty, cured salami or prosciutto and let the tastes unfold on my tongue, I am a happy, happy man. 

Then I moved to Italy.

And then I found out about porchetta.  

History, you’re interesting and all, but take a hike!  Porchetta, you just earned slot number 3 on my favorite things here.  Rich, flavorful, savory, porky, fatty, delicious.  Perfect with a piece of dense, unsalted bread.

How is porchetta so good?

Imagine a whole pig.  Now imagine a whole pig that has been gutted of its organs and bones.  Lay that flat on a table.

You are left with a very large rectangle piece of pig skin, a layer of fat and lots of meat.

Makers of porchetta take that entire piece of pig and load up the herbs and spices on the meat.  There are a few wonderful You Tube videos out there that show the process in action.  Fellow Rome blogger (and much more known than this blog) Katie Parla found a fantastic video.  It's about halfway down her post.  It's all in Italian meaning I understood so very little, but the process was so clear. You can watch it at her site here.

The main spices you will find are salt, garlic, rosemary, fennel pollen and I assume a bunch of others. 

Once enough of the good stuff is in there, the chef rolls is up, ties it together with twine, oils the outside and roasts the whole pig so the outer layer of fat and skin seals in all the flavorful juices.  This virtually guarantees excellent, tender meat… after 8 hours of roasting at low temperatures!

 A recent trip to the city of Ariccia, some say the originating city of porchetta, proved to be porchetta crazy!

 Store after store offering the good stuff.

 It seemed to be on every restaurant's menu.

 Can you spot the porchetta on the plate below?

When in Rome, do everything you can to make sure you try porchetta!  Most of the grocery stores now carry it.  You are almost guaranteed to find someone at an outdoor market who sells it.  And even street vendors at various festivals will have it.