Umbria is the region of (pork) meat eaters. Veal, lamb, goat, and pork all raise here, especially in the Norcia area. Many families living in the Umbrian countryside still butcher a pig each year! In the old days the pork of Umbria was highly prized during the Roman time for its flavours and the skill of its butchers. In particular the butchers of Norcia. They are (still) specialized in making pork salumi.

There are various styles of salami in Umbria that are worth discovering. The porchetta for example. Umbria’s famous and spectacular roast pork dish. Very good when you eat it warm with the crust on the outside! And what about the Capocollo? Spiced pork meat from the neck and shoulder. Delicious!

But have you ever thought about eating dry pork intestines? Or stuwed pork blood sausages? Well, the umbrian people do, because the butchers never throw away any leftover pork meat. They use it for making all kinds of cured meat.

Every Wednesday is market in Castiglione del Lago (Perugia). My little home town. I love the home made porchetta from the market. I always go there to buy it. And besides buying meat, fruit and vegetables, I like to talk with the local people from the market. I am interested in knowing what the Umbrian people sell and what products taste like. I am particularly curious to know more about the food I have never seen before. Dry pork intestines “Budello Secco” and stuwed blood sausages “Burischio Sanguinaccio”. I asked the butcher what it was, and he explained me everything about it. They make it themselves. The ingredients are very simple: salt, pork fat, fennel and bay leaf.

When you look closer at the intestines and the blood sausages, they don’t look very tasteful. Maybe I’ll try these cured meats one day. I do not have the courage yet …. We’ll see!

– Post by Sylvia van der Male –