Gnocchi di patate con rucola e Lard dArnad

Vallée d’Aoste Lard d’Arnad (PDO) is a variety of '' lardo'' (a cured

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved ...

product) produced exclusively within the municipal boundaries of the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Arnad Arnad ( frp, Arnà; Issime wae, Arnoal); is a town and ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , p ...

in lower

Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official languages , population_blank1 = Italian French ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It was awarded

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main ...

(PDO) status in 1996 and is promoted by the ''Comité pour la valorisation des produits typiques d'Arnad - Lo Doil'' producers association.

Description

The lard, one of a number of preserved meat specialties of the region, is produced by curing pieces of

fatback Fatback (also known as streak of lean or streak of fat) is a cut of meat from a domestic pig. It consists of the layer of adipose tissue (subcutaneous fat) under the skin of the back, with or without the skin (pork rind). Fatback is "hard fa ...

in a

brine Brine is a high-concentration solution of salt (NaCl) in water (H2O). In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawater, on the lower end of that of solutions used for ...

aromatised with such herbs and spices as

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arc ...

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...

, sage and

rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native plant, native to the Mediterranean Region, Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was kn ...

. The

brining In food processing, brining is treating food with brine or coarse salt which preserves and seasons the food while enhancing tenderness and flavor with additions such as herbs, spices, sugar, caramel or vinegar. Meat and fish are typically ...

takes place in wooden tubs known as ''doïls'', which may be made of chestnut, oak or larch, and are used solely for this purpose; it is known that Lard d’Arnad has been made for more than two centuries since a 1763 inventory from Arnad Castle refers to four doïls which belonged to its kitchens. It is often eaten with black bread and honey. The traditional ''Féhta dou lar'' ( Arnad Francoprovençal patois for ''Lard Festival'') is a Sagra held each year on the last Sunday of August. It has become a significant tourist attraction.

References

External links

* *
Vallée d’Aoste Lard d’Arnad
' - Aosta Valley official tourism board (multilingual) *
Vallée d'Aoste Lard d'Arnad (DOP)
', Italianmade.com Italian cuisine Salumi Italian products with protected designation of origin Bacon Cuisine of Aosta Valley Arnad {{Italy-cuisine-stub