Garda Pig Salami and Tastasal Championship Highlight Local Food Excellence
For the second consecutive week, the Condotta Gardesana di Slow Food and the association «I Ghiottoni» of Torri are proposing a unique competition centered around the pig: the straight salami, an intermediate shape between the large Venetian soppressa and the crescent-shaped salami, slightly arched, used in the Verona countryside.
The first straight salami championship takes place on Thursday the 8th at the La Meridiana center of the Lamberti cellars in Lazise. A popular jury will decide which of the salamis presented by six producers from Garda and nearby areas, selected by Slow Food, is the best.
The list of producers includes: Sartori butchery of Brenzone, Gemmo Aldrighetti of Pol di Pastrengo, Girardi butchery of Torri, the Salami Group of Ponti sul Mincio, Ceradini butchery of Rivoli, and the Ca’ Verde cooperative of Sant’Ambrogio.
All will be paired with various wines from Italian regions produced by the Gruppo Italiano Vini.
Campionato del Tastasal
Meanwhile, the first edition of the tastasal championship has been successfully concluded, with the «Girardi» butchery of Torri crowned as champion.
The winning product was entrusted to the care of a young chef from Torres, Stefano Lorenzi, for the preparation of a risotto tasted by the popular jury.
Competing for the title against Girardi were the Sartori butchery of Brenzone (chef Mauro Harmaki), Gazzani rice mill of Vigasio (chef Gianni Cusin), La Zona restaurant of Isola della Scala (chef Francesco Derani), Gemmo Aldrighetti of Pol di Pastrengo (chef Diego Seu), and Lonardi butchery of Ponti sul Mincio (chefs Dorella De Franceschi and Angelo Manzati).
The risottos, cooked with vialone nano veronese Igp from the Melotti rice mill in Isola della Scala, were paired with a Barbera d’Asti, a Collio Cabernet, a Valtellina Superiore Sassella, and a Chianti Classico from the wineries of the Gruppo Italiano Vini.
The victory was attributed to the pair of brothers Girardi, Mario and Lorenzo, both artists: the former author of some books on the history of Torri, and the latter a sculptor, whose wooden olive sculptures were on display in Lazise during the tournament.