Biroldo, biroldo, biroldo

The story we published on Sunday which was somewhat mischievously entitled "Lake Angels and the Pig" had a sequel which was too late to publish that day. It concerns another local pork dish which very neatly divides opinion between those who think that it is a delicate local food with a long history which should be preserved and others who could think of nothing worse sitting on their plate. We are talking about Biroldo. It is a local saying (and probably in some other cultures as well) that nothing is ever discarded when butchering a pig. A quick check on Sunday revealed this to be almost true, as it would seem that the only things that was actually thrown away were the very tips of the trotters. 

Biroldo is made from all of the parts of the pig which cannot be used for ham, joints, or in sausage making ….. in short – all of the scrap bits which are then boiled up in the blood. The preparation is easy, but the cooking time is long as the cauldron has to boil steadily all-day. In fact, dusk was already falling by the time the Lake Angels finally pulled the eight steaming biroldi firmly tied up in the pigs intestines from the fire. Right through the day the unmistakable smell of boiling biroldi had penetrated the piazza and surrounding streets of Barga Vecchia making some passers-by cover their noses with handkerchiefs and scarves but within minutes of the long cooking session coming to an end all eight biroldi were quickly snapped up by the cognoscenti eager for a chance of some hot fresh biroldi at a giveaway price and all in aid of charity.

Anybody here remember this article  back in 2004 of Jack's Pack playing at the now famous Bread and Biroldo festival further up the valley at Trassillico ?  

Biroldo is a very dark, brownish-red, soft-textured Tuscan blood sausage with lighter-coloured chunks of meat and fat in it. It was traditionally made from parts of the pig, offal such as heart, lungs and tongue, that wouldn't be used for other sausages. Because offal was used, the sausage would start being made right away as soon as the pig was slaughtered so that the taste of the offal would be at its freshest.
The offal is boiled, then chopped up, seasoned and spiced. Spices used include cloves, star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, fennel, and garlic. Then, pig's blood is added. The exact ingredients and proportions can vary by taste and family. It is then formed into a sausage, using the pig's bladder or stomach as casing.Biroldo made in Garfagnana, Lucca, Tuscany differs from that made in the rest of the province of Lucca in that in Garfagnana the head is also used. source