Its simple name evokes history, ancient history …. and we’re not mistaken thinking that. Biroldo is a Slow Food protected cold cut, a product of Tuscan tradition, almost impossible to find nowadays. It’s made with the pig’s lesser parts like the head, tongue, heart and lungs, mixed with blood, spices and local herbs, without the addition of any preservatives nor stabilizers.
In ancient Rome, it was consumed to honor the god of Fertility, Priapus, and Ulysses had it once he returned to his land, Ithaca. For these ties with the pagan world, Biroldo was forbidden during the Middle Ages.
Such culinary traditions, even if somehow distant from our own modern tastes, must be preserved, because they represent our past and are the very soul of our modern culture.
Biroldo, Mallegato and Buristo are different names for the same cold cut, which originated from Garfagnana, an area most known for its spelt production. It is made by boiling all meats for a long time, “tying them together” with the use of pig’s blood, and them boiled again. It has to be eaten very fresh: in fact, having it warm would be best!
Don’t turn up your nose at it. Leave behind all prejudices and, if you ever have the opportunity, do try this delicacy with a slice of chestnut bread: you’ll find it delicious.
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