Ariccia
Porchetta di Ariccia: An ancient traditional dish
Porchetta di Ariccia is a traditional pork dish from the town of Ariccia, in the province of Rome. This dish is popular throughout Italy and internationally, but its origins are reserved to the city of Ariccia. Porchetta ariccina has been a typical product for millennia, already known in the times of the Latins and preserved by the Ariccia popular culture, passed down from generation to generation up to the present day. Porchetta was born precisely because of the importance of pigs in the diet of ancient Rome and the acute sensitivity of its population to the culinary tradition related to the processing of pork.
The Sagra della Porchetta di Ariccia
In 1950, the porchetta makers of Ariccia organized the first "Sagra della Porchetta di Ariccia". Every year, during the event in Ariccia, the porchetta is offered on undecorated stands by sellers dressed in traditional Ariccia costumes. The event has become a very evocative and distinctive tradition that has kept the Porchetta di Ariccia always present in the popular culture of the city.
The IGP denomination
Since June 14, 2011, Porchetta di Ariccia has obtained the IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) recognition at the European level. The IGP acronym stands for "Indicazione Geografica Protetta" which indicates the origin of the product. The IGP recognition is a distinctive sign of quality, aimed at protecting and enhancing the typical product of a territory, also from the point of view of health and the environment.
The production of Porchetta di Ariccia
Porchetta di Ariccia is prepared exclusively with the meat of female animals, whose meat is very lean and tasty. The processing includes the removal of the intestines, the cleaning of the animal, the salting of the meat and its seasoning with herbs and spices. Subsequently, the meat is rolled up and roasted on a spit for several hours. During cooking, the porchetta is constantly irrigated with its own sauce, a mixture of fat, herbs, and aromatic spices that make the meat tender and succulent.
Porchetta di Ariccia outside Italy
Porchetta di Ariccia is also highly prized abroad. This Ariccia dish is often used to decorate the tables of important events or high-quality establishments, as it is considered a product of Italian gastronomic excellence. International recognition has allowed Porchetta di Ariccia to be increasingly protected and valued around the world.
The plate of Solidarity Purchase Groups
In the last decade, G.A.S. (Solidarity Purchase Groups) have become an important reality of Italian gastronomic culture. Solidarity Purchase Groups are entities born in the early 2000s that aim to build forms of critical consumption, based on respect for the environment and the rights of producers. One of the symbolic products of Italian G.A.S. is precisely Porchetta di Ariccia, a product to which many solidarity purchase groups turn to offer their members a high-quality product at zero kilometers.
In conclusion, Porchetta di Ariccia deserves to be known and tasted, not only for the thousand-year history it contains but also for its gastronomic excellence and the culture it represents. A delicacy from the Ariccia territory that, rightly, arouses the admiration of tourists and gastronomes from all over the world.
