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''Pitina'', ''peta'' or ''petuccia'' is an
''Pitina'', ''peta'' or ''petuccia'' is an Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
''salume
(: , ) are Italian meat products typical of an antipasto, predominantly made from pork and cured. They also include bresaola, which is made from beef, and some cooked products, such as mortadella.
The word , 'salted meat', derives from ...
'' originating in the Dolomite valleys of Tramonti di Sopra and Tramonti di Sotto
Tramonti di Sotto (, locally ) is a (municipality) in the Regional decentralization entity of Pordenone, in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located about northwest of Trieste and about northeast of Pordenone. As of 31 Decembe ...
, and the River Cellina, in the northeastern province of Pordenone
The province of Pordenone (; ; ) was a province in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, subdivided from the province of Udine in 1968. Its capital was the city of Pordenone. The province was abolished on 30 September 2017; it wa ...
, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia () is one of the 20 regions of Italy and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The regional capital is Trieste on the Gulf of Trieste, a bay of the Adriatic Sea.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia has an area of and a ...
. It is not a true sausage, but a meatball
A meatball is ground meat (mince) rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are m ...
made of smoked
Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food, particularly meat, fish and tea, by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood.
In Europe, alder is the traditional smoking wood, but ...
meats. The recipe was probably based on the impromptu need to preserve game. The preparation method did not require specialized equipment making it available to all homes, even the most isolated mountain huts.
Today the tradition is still alive and ''pitina'' is being produced commercially by several families in the province of Pordenone.
Preparation
The meat of chamois (or goat) is mashed with a knife and a paste of garlic, salt, pepper and red wine is added. The mixture is blended in a mortar. The meat is then formed into meatballs, rolled in yellow corn (polenta
Polenta (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. It may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried or Grilling, grilled.
The variety of cereal used is ...
) flour and then left to smoke for several days over a low fire of juniper wood.
See also
*List of dried foods
This is a list of dried foods. Food drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and has been practiced worldwide since ancient times to preserve food. Where or when d ...
* List of smoked foods
This is a list of smoked foods. Smoking (cooking), Smoking is the process of seasoning, flavoring, cooking, or food preservation, preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. Foods have been smoke ...
References
{{Reflist Salumi Lunch meat Smoked meat Ark of Taste foods Italian products with protected designation of origin