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Vicentine Soprèssa sausage is a quality product that has strong ties with its territory of origin which testifies to the central position of Soprèssa sausage in the gastronomical traditions of Vicenza as does its presence in many typical local recipes. Since the 1950s, various events and country festivals have been dedicated to this product. The history of Vicentine Soprèssa sausage covers two centuries. The first testimony goes back to an inventory of 1777, where the public notary Giuseppe Farinoi of Vicenza recorded “an iron for pressing sausages with two cores”. Another inventory in the municipal archives of San Vito di Leguzzano, dated April 12th 1834, records “four pounds of salted and sacked pork. The market reports of the Vicenza Chamber of Commerce states, on the same date, the item “Salame and Soprèssa sausage”. In 1996 Jealous custodians of tradition, several artisan companies, supported by the Vicenza Artisans’ Association and Vicenza Qualità began the process to give Vicentine Soprèssa Sausage “official” gastronomical dignity. On March 2003 the Protected Denomination of Origin was obtained therefore giving this product its duly justified success.

Where it is produced
Vicentine Soprèssa may generally be considered a typical provincial sausage which is present throughout the territory of Vicenza, where every area has its small, specific methods of production. The historical heartland where it originated, in any case, is in the northern part of the province.


Product Characteristics
The dimensions of Vicentine Soprèssa sausage may vary considerably, like the bovine entrails (holsters or sleeves) that are used as containers. The size of the cylindrical, slightly arched “sleeve” vary from 25-30 to 40-50 cm, while the diameter varies from 7-8 to 10-12 cm. The weight may also vary ranging from 800 grams to over 7 kilos at the selling time. The seasoning gives the Vicentine Soprèssa an external whitish colour, which is grayish-brown underneath due to the mould that covers it. Upon cutting the meat appears reddish, tending to rose coloured, with a characteristic irregular white marbling due to the component of fat surrounding the muscular part. Today, Soprèssa is produced by small sausage and salami factories disseminated throughout the territory of Vicenza which continue to work according to the practices of local farmers, handed down from generation to generation.


What is produced

- The meat pasta of Soprèssa sausage pork
This is the same pasta that is used for the production of salami. The meat must be devoid of nerve ends which would be evident to the palate since they have a certain consistency and Soprèssa is not cooked. Lard is then added to obtain the balance between meat and fat, which permits correct seasoning and good conservation of the product.

- lard
It is necessary for the fatty and lean parts of the pasta to be well amalgamated in order to guarantee that the product has the right degree of
softness, even after
seasoning.

- The entrails
In order to produce the Vicentine Soprèssa Sausage, the “mànega” (“sleeve”, in the local dialect) or the closed appendix intestine of the horse or cow is used which characteristically has a greater capacity than common entrails used for salami.

- The raw material - pork
The regulations for the production of Vicentine P.D.O. Soprèssa Sausage calls for the exclusive use of pork meet from animals born and raised in zoo technical companies in the Province of Vicenza, belonging to the Large White, Landrace and Duroc races. Following butchering, the animals must have a minimum dead weight of 130 kg. Production of the sausage starts with the selected side of pork from which all of the best parts are used such as the haunch, neck, shoulder, bacon, throat fat and loin, contrary to many other pressed sausages on the market today. Following the selection of the sides of pork, they are cooled to a temperature between 0° and 3° C for a minimum of 24 hours. The de-boning, cleaning and nerve removal procedures are then performed and the selected cuts of meat are ground in a grinder, using stamps with bores having a diameter between 6 and 7 mm. When the meat is ground it is brought to a temperature between 3° and 6° C and the previously mixed ingredients are added. The pasta is thoroughly amalgamated so that the fatty part is mixed with the lean part. This mixture is sacked with a piston press, utilizing the appropriate intestines. Finally, the operations of draining and drying are performed for 4-5 days at progressively lower temperatures. The minimum seasoning time varies according to the size and ranges from a minimum of 60 days for sizes between 1 - 1.5 kg to 120 days for sizes between 3.5 - 8 kg.

How it is consumed
Vicentine Soprèssa Sausage is suitable for many uses, since it is extremely versatile, like every other quality sausage worthy of respect. The traditional use can be with polenta mush or “pan biscotto” bread, accompanied by pickled vegetables, to combinations with pasta, rice, greens, or perhaps with a drop of balsamic vinegar and even with meat. The classical combination is with red wines such as Cabernet and Merlot or to reiterate the strong ties of the product with the territory, with Berici Hills Tocai Rosso which is now known as Barbarano.



TECHNICAL CARD
- Meats utilised: haunch, neck, shoulder, bacon and loin.

- Container: bovine entrails (“holsters” or “sleeves”).

- Dimensions: variable length between 25-30 cm to 40-50 cm and a diameter ranging from 2 to 12 cm. The weight ranges from about 1 kilo to over 7 kilos.

- Processing: the meats are ground to average grain (between 6 and 7 mm) and dressed with salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves and rosemary, and sometimes with garlic, sugars and a minimum quantity of potassium nitrate.
The meats are then amalgamated so that the lean part is united in a homogeneous manner to the fat part. The pasta obtained is then sacked, utilizing only natural entrails.

- Seasoning: from at least 60 days for small sizes to at least 120 days for large sizes. Optimum maturation, in any case, is considered to be 90 days.

- Production: during 2004, about 150,000 kg of product were sent to the nine companies associated with the Consortium for the Protection of Vicentine P.D.O. Soprèssa Sausage, for certification.


USEFUL ADDRESSES
Consorzio di Tutela della Soprèssa Vicentina DOP
(Consortium for the Protection of Vicentine P.D.O. Soprèssa)
Via Foscari, 4 - 36016 Thiene (Vicenza)
Ph. +39 0445 385829
Fax +39 0445 380411
e-mail: svdop@artigiani.vi.it


TRADE FAIRS AND EVENTS
Valli del Pasubio
(mid August): Sagra della Soprèssa (The Soprèssa Festival)
Ph. +39 0445 630031

Villabalzana di Arcugnano
(mid July): Festa della Soprèssa (The Soprèssa Festival)
Ph. +39 0444 240300