Speck: a Specialty that Reaches the Heights of Flavor
Typical of northeastern Italy, speck is a smoked cured meat that blends Central European and Mediterranean traditions. Speck Alto Adige has obtained PGI recognition.
Made from pork leg, speck is smoked and aged. The secret to excellent speck lies in the smoking process, which lasts about ten days and uses non-resinous woods like beech, juniper or ash.
Speck has a flat, elongated shape. Inside, it has a deep pink-to-red color with well-defined fat layers.
Its flavor is distinctive, spicy and smoky.Gastronomically versatile, it pairs well with cheese platters and salads, or as a topping for pasta dishes. It is also best enjoyed pure, perhaps paired with a glass of red wine.
How speck is made
Speck production begins with the preparation of the so-called “baffe”, boned pork legs cut into slabs with a good balance of fat and lean meat, an essential condition to guarantee the quality of the final product.
The slabs are then salted and flavored with a mix of spices and natural aromas such as garlic, pepper, bay leaves, juniper berries, nutmeg and more, depending on local tradition. This phase lasts about thirty days, during which the meat rests and slowly absorbs the aromas.
Once the resting period is complete, the smoking process begins. The slabs are arranged on iron frames inside large fireplaces and then slowly smoked with maple and beech wood chips, at temperatures no higher than 20°C, for about ten days.
Finally, they are aged for at least five months, allowing the speck to develop its unmistakable aroma.