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What is Norcini Italian’s Culinary Secrets?

Norcini Italian is about an Italian tribe that took the art of butchery to the level of a legend. In spring, the villages in the countryside of Tuscan in Italy would witness a cherished tradition. As per this, the farmers brought pigs to their farms and they would be raised till the winter. In winter, some Norcini, the traveling butchers who took the pork from the villages, would come. They would prepare the meat and cure it. They would purchase the excess meat from the farmers and sell it to restaurants in Italy to make sausage or Sulami.

Advent of Norcinians

This tradition of Norcini Italian first started in the town of Norcia which is situated in the Umbria region of Italy. It is also a famous place for cured meat. The farming was not particularly going well in these mountain terrains. So, the Noricians ate what was abundantly found. And, it was meat that they had a lot of. They would catch wild bears from the forest. But basically, their business was around the pork. Some of the Noricians also raised their own pigs for meat. Many of them became experts in curing the meats so they can be used for a long time. All these things were recognized throughout the decades and centuries. When the Noricians became experts, their skill was discovered by the Catholic Church and they were allowed to do dentistry, bone setting, and surgery on humans.

Noricians & their meat curing art

The real Noricians usually traveled in groups. There were many reasons for this. The main reason was to protect themselves. When they traveled in groups there were fewer chances of being attacked by a wild animal. There were different members in a group of Noricians. There would be a butcher whose work was to cut the meat, break the bones, and take them out. There would be a Salumirere who would turn the meat into sausage or Salumi. The Noricians made different Salumi for different times like fresh for tomorrow or preserved for use next year. Each member of Norician had their own loyal farmers for their services and different routes to go to the city. The Norcini Italian had their own secret to make the meat into the sausages. They would not reveal it to anyone, even not to their family members. As a result, many of the Noricians passed away along with their secrets.

Arrival of pig farming

After World War 2, pig farming became very popular around the world. People liked these sausages. The Noricians of this time earned a lot of money from pig farming. Some Noricians also used some alternatives to pig meat like wild bear meat. But the center of these meats was pig meat. The work of the Noricians increased a lot so they started to work together to earn more money. Their meats and sausages became a trademark of some restaurants. The Noricians would say that their pigs were very happy pigs. They have never been given antibiotics. They freely ran on the farm and rolled in the mud.

Now, the age of Noricians is over and the specimen of their skills is only to be found in some restaurants. The curing of the meat only on the bone and the deep nutty flavor that it oozed is only a matter of conjecture.