Being born in Italy has many advantages; one of them is surely the huge food tradition we learn since we are kids. Both our families in Abruzzo have kept the art of making homemade sausages for generations. December and January are the best months to make them: it’s cold and the weather is perfect, because the meat keeps its freshness and the fat doesn’t melt.
We grew up waiting for December and that special day to come! It’s actually still like that: it’s a feast, a Christmas holiday celebration before Christmas! The whole family gets together and shares that special moment. Everyone has their task and we all make sure everything’s ready.
Usually men prepare the pork meat: they cut it into pieces and then mince it in the machine;
after that, the meat is seasoned with salt, spices and other ingredients (according to their taste, each family has its recipe, using different spices and different quantities). In our family, women are i charge of “making” the sausages: the typical types are all-pork, cotechino and liver sausages.
The best part, though, is yet to come: when we’re done, the whole family eats pork chops, cooked directly in the big fireplace in the kitchen!
You must wait a while beofre eating sausages. In Abruzzo, we also have the tradition to preserve some of them in lard or olive oil, so that we can use them to spread, for example on a bruschetta, for a delicious appetizer!
©Maple&Saffron
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