There
stands in Mortara by the old Millside,
An inn, named for Becco a farmer fine
Of full, fat geese and good red wine,
And pure goose sausage on show you'll find that will sate the
Palate of all mankind.
Guido
da Cozzo, 13th century poet and architect, was visiting Mortara when he
was inspired to write these verses, which were later edited and refined
for the 15th century ear. However they show how Mortara has been the capital
of breeding geese and producing that famous gastronomic delicacy Goose Salami
for hundreds of years.
The salami's origins lay in the Lomellina an area of northern Italy bounded by three rivers; the Po, the Ticino and the Sesia, which was settled in the time of Ludovico the Dark (the middle ages) by an important Hebrew community that commissioned local butchers to produce a unique type of sausage (salami) from goose meat since their religion forbade them to eat pork which was the meat staple in that area.
What is now known as Mortara Goose Salami, is, in fact, a fusion of Jewish and Christian culinary traditions; a mixture of lean goose meat and pork.
At that time and in that place the water fowl offered the peasant families that bred them numerous advantages: meat, skin, grease, liver and innards and feathers.
As with the pig, it became necessary to find a way of conserving the meat during the winter time and this is how goose salami originated. Today, goose salami is produced locally and in a non-industrialised way.
The recipe of Mortara's gastronomic speciality has never been standardised, and is often a family secret as far as the proportion of the ingredients and the method are concerned.
This
famous salami comes from the meat of Embden geese (a breed crossed with
geese from the Romagna area of Italy) mixed with an almost equal amount
of pork and pork fat.
The flesh of the goose must be fresh, not frozen, however the pork ingredients are taken from the shoulder and the fat from the stomach and the cheeks.
The meat is minced to the same consistency and carefully amalgamated adding salt, pepper, aromatic herbs to taste, sweet Marsala wine and other fine wines. The mixture obtained is left to rest and then stuffed into tubes of goose skin which have been cut and sewn previously, and is then laid down under layers of salt.
The salami, which is tied off by hand, is left to dry for two or three days.
Wrapped in the gooses, thick, white skin, it takes on the shape of a wine flask, more or less clearly defined depending on whether the skin was taken from the back, the stomach or the neck of the bird.
It weighs about 1 kilo approx.
The high quality and prestige of this local product can be illustrated by the Gold Medal won by local producers at the time of the 1913 Paris Exhibition.
An
even more satisfying result when we think that France is the country which
has made goose meat famous all around the world. This
unique speciality from the Lombardy region is sold cooked or uncooked and
should be eaten after boiling for about 2 hours at a temperature no higher
than 80°. It can be served cold as an Hors d'œuvre after being immersed
in cold water, or as a main course together with cooked vegetables. It must
be eaten in a short time in order to maintain its flavour and in any case
it can be kept no longer than 30 days. For this reason it is mainly eaten
in the Lombardy area and particularly in the area around Mortara where it
is produced. New conservation techniques (under vacuum for example) will
probably permit an expansion into bigger markets.
An inn, named for Becco a farmer fine
Of full, fat geese and good red wine,
And pure goose sausage on show you'll find that will sate the
Palate of all mankind.
Guido
da Cozzo, 13th century poet and architect, was visiting Mortara when he
was inspired to write these verses, which were later edited and refined
for the 15th century ear. However they show how Mortara has been the capital
of breeding geese and producing that famous gastronomic delicacy Goose Salami
for hundreds of years.The salami's origins lay in the Lomellina an area of northern Italy bounded by three rivers; the Po, the Ticino and the Sesia, which was settled in the time of Ludovico the Dark (the middle ages) by an important Hebrew community that commissioned local butchers to produce a unique type of sausage (salami) from goose meat since their religion forbade them to eat pork which was the meat staple in that area.
What is now known as Mortara Goose Salami, is, in fact, a fusion of Jewish and Christian culinary traditions; a mixture of lean goose meat and pork.
At that time and in that place the water fowl offered the peasant families that bred them numerous advantages: meat, skin, grease, liver and innards and feathers.
As with the pig, it became necessary to find a way of conserving the meat during the winter time and this is how goose salami originated. Today, goose salami is produced locally and in a non-industrialised way.
The recipe of Mortara's gastronomic speciality has never been standardised, and is often a family secret as far as the proportion of the ingredients and the method are concerned.
This
famous salami comes from the meat of Embden geese (a breed crossed with
geese from the Romagna area of Italy) mixed with an almost equal amount
of pork and pork fat.The flesh of the goose must be fresh, not frozen, however the pork ingredients are taken from the shoulder and the fat from the stomach and the cheeks.
The meat is minced to the same consistency and carefully amalgamated adding salt, pepper, aromatic herbs to taste, sweet Marsala wine and other fine wines. The mixture obtained is left to rest and then stuffed into tubes of goose skin which have been cut and sewn previously, and is then laid down under layers of salt.
The salami, which is tied off by hand, is left to dry for two or three days.
Wrapped in the gooses, thick, white skin, it takes on the shape of a wine flask, more or less clearly defined depending on whether the skin was taken from the back, the stomach or the neck of the bird.
It weighs about 1 kilo approx.
The high quality and prestige of this local product can be illustrated by the Gold Medal won by local producers at the time of the 1913 Paris Exhibition.
An
even more satisfying result when we think that France is the country which
has made goose meat famous all around the world. This
unique speciality from the Lombardy region is sold cooked or uncooked and
should be eaten after boiling for about 2 hours at a temperature no higher
than 80°. It can be served cold as an Hors d'œuvre after being immersed
in cold water, or as a main course together with cooked vegetables. It must
be eaten in a short time in order to maintain its flavour and in any case
it can be kept no longer than 30 days. For this reason it is mainly eaten
in the Lombardy area and particularly in the area around Mortara where it
is produced. New conservation techniques (under vacuum for example) will
probably permit an expansion into bigger markets. 
