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''Cassoeula'' (), sometimes Italianized as ''cassola'',
''cazzuola'' or ''cazzola'' (Western Lombard word for "
trowel
A trowel is a small hand tool used for digging, applying, smoothing, or moving small amounts of viscous or particulate material. Common varieties include the masonry trowel, garden trowel, and float trowel.
A power trowel is a much larger gas ...
", etymologically unrelated), or ''bottaggio'' (probably derived from the French word ) is a typical winter dish popular in Western
Lombardy. The dish has a strong, decisive flavour, and was a favourite of conductor
Arturo Toscanini.
One writer describes it as a "noble, ancient Milanese dish",
and writes of the inexpressible "pleasure that it furnishes the soul as well as the palate, especially on a wintry day".
Origins
One account of the origins of the dish associates it with the January 17 celebration of
St Anthony the Abbot which coincided with the end of the pig-slaughtering season.
The parts of the pig used for the dish were those ready for consumption immediately after slaughter, whereas the better cuts of meat would be hung to improve the flavour.
Another account traces the origins of the dish to the 16th century when
Spain ruled Milan; it tells how a Spanish army officer taught the recipe to his lover, who cooked for a noble Milanese family, and the dish was well-received and became popular.
Ingredients
The meat used in the dish includes mainly
pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...
meat (usually least valuable parts like
ribs
The rib cage, as an enclosure that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum in the thorax of most vertebrates, protects vital organs such as the heart, lungs and great vessels.
The sternum, together known as the thoracic cage, is a semi- ...
,
rind,
head,
trotters,
ears,
nose and tail),
Verzino sausage,
and sometimes other meats like chicken and goose. These are cooked in a
casserole (hence its name) with ingredients such as onion, carrot, celery and black pepper for about two and a half hours, after which the cabbage is added and cooking continues for a further half-hour.
Usually, ''cassoeula'' is served with
polenta and/or a strong
red wine. It is tradition for this dish to be eaten starting after the first frost of the season, to let the cabbage be softer and tastier.
Variations
Many variations of this dish exist across the territory, but all of them share the use of cabbage.
For example, in the
Province of Como the head is used, but not the trotters; in the
Province of Pavia
The province of Pavia ( it, Provincia di Pavia) is a province in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy; its capital is Pavia. , the province has a population of 548,722 inhabitants and an area of ; the town of Pavia has a population of 72,205. ...
only the ribs are used; and in the
Province of Novara
Novara (It. ''Provincia di Novara'') is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Novara.
In 1992, the new Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola was created through the fusion of three geographical areas which had prev ...
goose is added.
References
{{Cuisine , state=collapsed
Cuisine of Lombardy
Pork dishes