Meats and Sausages
Zampone Modena PGI
Zampone Modena is without a doubt one of the most original sausages. The meat paste is stuffed into natural casings made from the skin of the pig’s foot, complete with the toes, and tied at the top. Zampone Modena is produced within its traditional geographical production area, which covers the entire territory of the following Italian provinces: Modena, Ferrara, Ravenna, Rimini, Forlì-Cesena, Bologna, Reggio Emilia, Parma, Piacenza, Cremona, Lodi, Pavia, Milano, Monza-Brianza, Varese, Como, Lecco, Bergamo, Brescia, Mantova, Verona and Rovigo.
| Meats | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Lean pork* | 500 g | 1.10 lb |
| Pork belly, jowl fat | 150 g | 0.33 lb |
| Pork skin ** | 350 g | 0.77 lb |
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
| Salt | 28 | 4.5 tsp |
| Cure #1 | 2.0 g | 1/3 tsp |
| Pepper, whole/crushed | 2.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Sugar | 5 g | 1 tsp |
| Cinnamon | 1.0 g | 1/2 tsp |
| Cloves, ground | 0.3 g | 1/8 tsp |
| Garlic | 1.0 g | 1/4 clove |
| Red wine | 15 ml | 1 Tbsp |
| Paprika, sweet (optional) | 2.0 g | 1 tsp |
Instructions
- Grind cold meat through 10 -12 mm (3/8 – 1/2”) plate.
- Slice skin into strips and grind through 3-5 mm (3/16-1/4”) plate. For making only one Zampone it is more practical to use a knife and dice meat and fat into 6 mm (1/4”) cubes.
- Mix ground meat, fat, and skin with all ingredients.
- Stuff into emptied front trotter of a pig. The procedure is not unlike removing a sock from one’s leg by flipping it over and rolling it down the leg as much as it goes. One hand holds the pig’s trotter down against the table, and the other works the knife around the leg, separating it from the skin. The skin on the top of the pig’s trotter is flipped over, and the sharp knife goes down making another incision about 2 cm (3/4”) down, separating more skin from the leg. One hand works the knife and another pins the leg down and pulls on the skin. More skin can be folded over now, and the knife can go deeper now all around the leg again. It is much simpler than it sounds. There comes the point when the bones (toes) are reached (the first joint of the foot) and the skin cannot be removed anymore. The skin is flipped over as much as possible; the joint is deep cut all around, and it is broken off. The meat mixture will go on top of it. Make about 5 holes around about 2-3 cm (1 inch) from the top of the sack (emptied trotter) for threading butcher twine and tying the sack. Tie it tight, making a few loops as the sausage will be cooked in water.
- Place in refrigerator and fully cook before serving. Zampone is served hot but produced as a fresh or cooked sausage. Cooking Zampone: The secret to cooking Zampone is to pierce it with a large needle or a sharp knife point in a few places. Make a small incision under the foot so the skin does not break during cooking. Place sausage in cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer at no more than 80° C (176° F) at low heat for 4 hours. When cooked, the Zampone must be soft and supple to the touch.
Notes
The recipe can be simplified by just using 50% (500 g) of lean meat and 50% (500 g) of skins.
* Meat rich in connective tissue should be selected such as front leg or foot, head meat, or from the neck area.
** pork skin may come from trimming jowls, shoulder, belly, and ham cuts. It is of crucial to remove any bristle (hair) from the skin and to scrape off any remaining fat on inside.
Sodium nitrite may be added at <140 ppm (parts per million), which is about 2.0 g ¾ tsp of Cure #1 per 1 kg of meat. Zampone is neither smoked nor extensively dried, so the only benefit of adding sodium nitrite at home will be a slightly stronger color.
To serve: slice Zampone into 1 cm (1/2”) discs and serve with mashed potatoes or lentils.
Zampone is a great sausage; however, it must be consumed hot; otherwise, it will lose its original taste and qualities. The reason is the large percentage of skins that the sausage contains. The skins are rich in collagen, which upon heating, liquifies, becoming natural gelatin. This provides a pleasant mouthfeel creating a false impression that the sausage contains a lot of fat. As the sausage cools, the gelatin solidifies, and the slippery texture changes, becoming gummy. A kind of gummy bears candy feeling.
The geographical area of production
‘Zampone Modena’ owes its reputation to its geographical origin, i.e. the places where it has traditionally been produced. ‘Zampone Modena’ originates in Modena but later came to be produced in other regions of central and northern Italy too, where the same know-how in the art of making pure pork sausages of this kind was also passed on and spread. Its historical origin dates back to the early 16th century. The sausage makers’ industriousness and technical skills, traditionally handed down between those in the trade, are an essential feature of this product, and even today its characteristics are shaped by the importance of environmental and human factors. The reputation of ‘Zampone Modena’ is confirmed by numerous literary references.
The required characteristics of this geographical indication product depend on the natural and human factors in the production area. The typical climate of central and northern Italy defines the area's environmental conditions. The main link with the traditional production area is the industriousness and technical skills of the sausage makers, who, over time, have refined their craftsmanship and developed processing techniques that are perfectly attuned to the tradition. These traditions and environmental conditions are also closely linked to the production area’s social and economic development, resulting in unique qualities not found elsewhere.
Production
Meat: and ingredients. Zampone Modena is made from pork meat, pork fat, and skin. The sausage composition and processing steps are very similar to that of Cotechino, the main difference lies in selecting a casing.Ingredients: salt, whole pepper and/or crushed pepper, wine, natural flavorings, spices and herbs, sugar and/or dextrose and/or fructose, sodium and/or potassium nitrite (maximum 140 parts per million), ascorbic acid and its sodium salt
Processing: preparing the raw materials, mincing, mixing, and filling the casings (emptied foot), followed by drying if the product is sold fresh and any pre-cooking and appropriate heat treatment if the product is sold cooked. The sausage is not smoked, and smoke flavorings are not permitted. The mixture is stuffed into natural casings made from the skin of the pig's foreleg (trotter), complete with fingers, and tied at the top. Zampone Modena is sold whole, either loose or packaged, if fresh, and suitably vacuum-packed if cooked.
