1/2 LB of freshly sliced smoked Speck, imported from the Alto Adige.
For generations this delicacy has been smoked according to an old family recipe. The unique taste of Speck Alto Adige PGI is thanks in no small part to its production in South Tyrol/Alto Adige. For it’s here that Alpine landscapes and Mediterranean culture meet to form a unique blend. Even nature plays a role with the unique climate, plenty of sun and clean air. South Tyrol may be small but it features food and flavours that come up big. The northernmost province in Italy unites both the Alpine and the Mediterranean, and it is blessed by 300 days of sun per year. The stunning mountain scenery has been the backdrop for the production of typical South Tyrolean speck for generations and it is the home of true speck culture.
Only speck that has been created in accordance with the traditional methods may bear the quality seal of approval Speck Alto Adige PGI. Speck Alto Adige PGI owes its supreme quality to the traditional principle “use a little salt, a little smoke and lots of fresh mountain air.”
The smoked ham production process in South Tyrol/Alto Adige combines two methods into one: the Mediterranean approach and the Northern European one. The unique feature of the Mediterranean method is the dehydration process, which uses salt and air-drying to pull the water out of the ham hock; the result is air-dried ham. The Northern method, on the other hand, utilizes techniques such as salting, seasoning and smoking to conserve the ham.
As a country that melds two different cultures, South Tyrol has created its own typical production process. It combines both ham production methods, i.e. smoking and air-drying and it thus reaps the benefits of both. It is this symbiosis that makes Speck from South Tyrol so unique and unmistakably authentic. All producers still safeguard their secret family recipes for smoked ham today and they are handed down from generation to generation.
The large and the small producers of Speck Alto Adige PGI share one unique trait: their artisanal skilfulness and their strict compliance with the provisions for traditional South Tyrolean smoked ham production. Stringent inspections guarantee the best possible quality. The production of South Tyrolean Speck is an art all to itself, which takes five concisely coordinated phases: from the selection of the raw material to seasoning and smoking of the speck to the ham curing process and the final inspection.
