Meet the court of the Salame King VECCHIO VARZI 1 % Italian salame - fine and tasty out of choice
SALUMIFICIO VECCHIO VARZI Beneficiaries of a millenary tradition, Vecchio Varzi s cured meats have been celebrated since 1974 for an artisanal production that cures the finest Lombard, Piedmontese and Emilian pork, aided by the wonderful air of the Varzi hills. HISTORY A passion originating from the Middle Ages The people of Varzi have passed their salame-making tradition from generation to generation since mediaeval times. Only in the last century did this artisanal activity slowly become organized and embrace modern enterprise - leading in 1974 to the founding of the Vecchio Varzi brand and its first production premises in the heart of the old town. Production moved to new premises on the edge of town in 2001 to increase output and implement the strictest health, safety and quality standards. PRODUCTION Artisanal care and cutting-edge technology The new production and refining plant was designed to recreate the ambience that made the original Vecchio Varzi products synonymous with good quality. Brick cells reproduce the conditions found in the old town cellars originally used for Varzi salame. Production processes based on excellence and state-ofthe-art machinery, for the greatest food safety (including a highly efficient metal detector), consistently guarantee the finest quality for the end customer. Now, as in the past, whether considering today s largescale artisanal production or the old cottage industry, it is the people who really make the difference and whose daily efforts and passion ensure Vecchio Varzi cured meats are unique. Production and curing phases Stripping Mincing Salting Seasoning Mixing Encasing Tying Drying Ageing 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
product range VARZI P.D.O. SALAME Varzi P.D.O. Vecchio Varzi Salame is produced to the specific guidelines drawn up by the producers association. Vecchio Varzi produces approximately one third of all Varzi P.D.O. Salame and is its largest producer. Extreme care and attention go into every phase of the production and curing process, whatever the end product. Our cured meats are totally governed by the quest for good quality, starting from the decision to prepare a mix formed principally of pork leg - one of the choicest cuts, normally channelled towards ham production. VARZELLO 350 grams VARZINO 500 grams Small and tasty Also available SKINNED and vacuum-packed, ready to slice for greater convenience. CRESPONETTO SOTTOCRESPONE 700 grams 1000 grams Award-winning cured meats On Varzi P.D.O. Vecchio Varzi Salame, the Gambero Rosso Grandi Salumi guide says: You are immediately struck by its intense aroma with hints of spice, wine and citrus. It is sweet to the taste with clear citrusy notes. Excellent persistence.
MORE FINE VECCHIO VARZI CURED MEATS CUCITO 1100 and 1800 grams 1974 1100 grams Excellence recognized by the experts Cucito Salame is Vecchio Varzi s top-of-the-range. Its superior quality stems from a mix of fine cuts, spices and natural flavours based on an age-old recipe; a skin made of handstitched double pork gut, required to withstand its prolonged curing (80-100 days) and a slower fermentation process. A description of Varzi Cucito Salame, again from the Gambero Rosso Grandi Salumi guide: The slice presents a fine, dark colour with white and uniform fat. The nose perceives the classic aromas of meat, wine, garlic, pepper and cellar, with an aftertaste that is intense and lasting. Excellent structure. A special mention for the fat: tasty and sweet, it leaves a clean taste in the mouth. Exclusive quality The Vecchio Varzi 1974 Salame was created to celebrate our 40th anniversary and is exclusively produced from the finest cuts of pigs born and reared a few kilometres from Varzi on a special, strictly controlled diet. The meat is processed by hand, using a knife as was the rural tradition, and only spices and natural flavours are added. Margherita di Savoia sea salt (highly soluble, pronounced flavour) Sarawak pepper (extremely aromatic, hot and flavourful) Natural local flavours: an infusion of garlic and a special aromatic red Oltrepò Pavese wine (hints of plums and dried figs). Vecchio Varzi 1974 Salame is encased in natural Danish sow gut, one of the finest on the market, which keeps the contents soft. SALAMETTO String of 4 x 180 grams Goodness in handy portions The same excellent, traditional mix as Vecchio Varzi Salame but minced more finely than the other products. The sweet delicate taste and intense aroma, together with its smaller size, make this one of our most popular products. Mouth-watering and versatile, it is ideal for picnics or a tasty cocktail accompaniment, starter or snack. VECCHIO VARZI REGIONAL SPECIALITIES LARDO DI SPALLONE COTECHINO 300 g and 1 kg cuts 500 grams Vecchio Varzi Lardo di Spallone is much sought after for its dark red streaking, achieved by taking the cut from the uppermost and choicest part of the shoulder. This zone contains little water, resulting in a product that conserves its natural flavour with no need for large amounts of added spices. Its sweet taste stems from the small flow of haemoglobin to this zone, which also gives it a pinker colour than less prized products. LOMBATA AL PINOT A fine and uniquely delicate cut the cooked version of a quality salame Vecchio Varzi Cotechino contains a coarsely minced and spiced mix that reflects age-old local tradition. The composition is very similar to that of Varzi Salame, with the addition of finely chopped pork rind, which lends the Cotechino its distinctive and slightly sticky consistency, typical of cooked salame produced with a mix of fine meats. Available vacuum-packed and in a cardboard box. PANCETTA QUADRA AL GINEPRO 300 g and 1 kg cuts 300 g and 1 kg cuts A noble cured product meets fine wine Lombata al Pinot is made from pork loin one of the finest cuts. It is trimmed and then infused for a few days in white Pinot dell Oltrepò Pavese wine before being salted, spiced and packed in good-quality natural gut. The Gambero Rosso Grandi Salumi guide states: Lombata al Pinot presents a fine red colour with orangey hues. It has a fine aroma of spices, cinnamon and clove. For a unique and carefully developed flavour Vecchio Varzi Pancetta Quadra al Ginepro is made from the belly of heavy Italian pigs and the cut is carefully selected not from the abdomen but from the side, which offers far more linear streaking and more visible lean meat. Placed in salt for a few days, it is then covered with juniper berries, pepper and bay leaves.
100% GLUTEN FREE Vecchio Varzi Salame and other cured meats are suitable for celiacs and those with food intolerances. They are listed in the Food and Drink Directory (Prontuario degli Alimenti) checked by the AIC - Italian Society for Celiac Disease - because they are gluten free and have no added derivatives. protein/milk AWARDS For its Grandi Salumi guide, Gambero Rosso (a leader in the Italian food/wine sector and a point of reference for foodies the world over) blind-tested more than 1,000 Italian cured meats, awarding 1-3 slices of salame for positive responses. Vecchio Varzi received a full three slices for both its Varzi Cucito Salame and its Varzi P.D.O. Salame. RAW MATERIALS Only Italian pork from a controlled supply chain Vecchio Varzi only employs the finest cuts from Italian pigs born and reared in Lombardy, Piedmont and Emilia in its products the very same pigs that produce Prosciutto Crudo di Parma and Culatello di Zibello. The fine cuts selected by Vecchio Varzi are leg, shoulder, loin and tenderloin and never frozen. These extremely lean choice cuts are then combined with equally fine fatty ones such as belly and throat, traditionally minced coarse. This is what makes the overall percentage of fat in Varzi P.D.O. cured salame smaller and no more than 33% of the total than in similar products on the market. Careful selection of the meat cuts means that Vecchio Varzi salame contains less cholesterol and a high percentage of unsaturated - good - fats. Only natural flavours are added to the minced meat during production: sea salt - in one of the lowest quantities of all cured meats; peppercorns; and a filtered infusion of garlic and red Oltrepò Pavese wine. At the end of the production process, the Vecchio Varzi salame is packed exclusively in fine-quality natural pork gut. CERTIFICATION Our salame has been C.D.O. (Controlled Designation of Origin) approved since 1989 and had international P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) certification since 1996. The quality of Varzi P.D.O. Vecchio Varzi Salame is guaranteed by the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies via controls conducted by the Istituto Parma Qualità, the same body that certifies the quality of Prosciutto Crudo di Parma and Culatello di Zibello. The Vecchio Varzi production plant is IFS food certified. This standard checks quality-management and HACCP systems as well as GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) and GHP (Good Hygiene Practice) compliance. We guarantee adherence to food quality and safety requirements and the legislation governing the industry. The IFS standard meets the criteria of the Global Food Safety Initiative, as defined by CIES The Food Business Forum, a global organization comprising the CEOs and top managers of almost 400 retailers (with almost 200,000 points of sale) and producers of all sizes.
PRODUCT AVERAGE WEIGHT INGREDIENTS PRESERVATIVES SALAMETTO VARZELLO VARZINO CRESPONETTO SOTTOCRESPONE CUCITO RISERVA SPECIALE "1974" COTECHINO (seasonal product) LOMBATA AL PINOT string of 4 x 180 g (individually labelled) 350 g (also available skinned and vacuum-packed) MINCE DIAMETER CASING MINIMUM AGEING 15 days 30 days 500 g 700 g Pork, salt, peppercorns, garlic, red Oltrepò Pavese wine Potassium nitrate, Sodium 30 days 45 days 1 kg (also available nitrite NATURAL in 450 g pieces, GUT vacuum-packed) 60 days 1.1 kg (1.8 kg to order) 1.1 kg (1.8 kg to order) 500 g 300 g & 800 g pieces Whole 1.2 kg LARDO DI SPALLONE 300 g & 1 kg pieces PANCETTA QUADRA AL GINEPRO 300 g & 1 kg pieces Pork meat and rind, salt, peppercorns, spices and natural flavours Pork loin, salt, spices and natural flavours; marinaded in Pinot dell'oltrepò Pavese wine Pork bacon fat, salt, spices and natural flavours Pork belly, salt, spices and natural flavours Potassium nitrate 14 mm 80-100 days 14 mm 90 days 8 mm - - 30 days - - 30 days - - 45 days Except for Cotechino, all products are also available sliced and packed in a protective atmosphere in 23x16x1.5 cm trays (shelf life 60 days). All our products are gluten-free and contain no added milk deriviatives or sugar. Conservation: salame in a cool place or fridge; vacuum-packed products +0 /+4. TORINO MILANO VECCHIO VAR Z I GENOVA PARMA VECCHIO VARZI Head office and factory 27057 Varzi (PV) Italy - Via Castelletto 11 - Ph. +39 0383.52283 - Fax +39 0383.52668 info@vecchiovarzi.it - www.vecchiovarzi.it - http://blog.vecchiovarzi.it