Salted Meat Tradition in Garda and Valdadige: From History to Present
Salted meat. There is no trattoria in the Trentino area of Garda or in the Valdadige region on the border between Trento and Verona that does not serve it. It is eaten raw, in thin slices, or heated on a griddle, accompanied by pickled vegetables or beans. Along the Veronese Riviera, it is not uncommon for groups to organize outings to enjoy it between Riva, Arco, and Tenno. To impress. Among enthusiasts of salted meat, the small village of Cologna di Tenno enjoys particular fame, and perhaps it is no coincidence that it is found to be excellent here. The flavorful recipe from the Trentino Garda is actually documented in a sixteenth-century record written at Castel Tenno. Specifically, the text was drafted on March 1, 1515, by the vicar of Tenno, Antonio Beriano, for the benefit of Bishop Bernardo Cles. It lists the movable property of the castle, especially the rooms used as bedrooms, kitchens, and cellars. It also mentions the existence of salt-cured beef and pork. “The inventory,” writes Graziano Riccadonna, “can provide some notes for a local culinary history, not so much for the foods listed but for the salted meat of beef and pork, where the true originality comes from referencing pork salt-cured meat instead of the more common and traditional beef.”
But in reality, if today in the Garda Trentino area the salting is almost exclusively used for beef, in the past, it was generally pork meat that was preserved with salt. And still today, in Valdadige, near Belluno Veronese, both raw beef salà and cooked pork salà are served. There is no doubt about the antiquity of this preparation. Perhaps dating back to the same period as Castel Tenno’s inventory, there is a recipe in a Trentino manuscript which, although from the eighteenth century, is actually a copy with additions of an older recipe collection. It describes an “stuffed” meat, instructing to take beef, salt it “for two days,” and add juniper berries, garlic, rosemary, and vinegar “enough to cover it by loading it with stones.” Essentially, salt-preserved meat pressed down by stones, exactly as happens today. As for the origin of salted meat, it is surely linked to the problem of food preservation.
For centuries, one of humanity’s concerns has been storing foodstuffs to ensure survival during less favorable times. Salting was among the most used, simplest, and most reliable techniques. Salt, in fact, has the property of making foods preservable and destroying bacteria. Before freezers, reliance was placed on salt’s preservative capabilities. Here and there, vivid memories remain of these ancient food storage practices. In the Venetian area, a good mixed boiled dish is never without a few slices of salted tongue. Likewise, in the inland areas of Garda Trentino and the last stretch of Valdadige Veronese, the highly flavorful salted meat is used. Almost like a museum on the table.
