Bresaola facts for kids
Bresaola is a special kind of meat that has been air-dried and salted. It's usually made from beef, but sometimes it can be made from horse, deer, or pork. This meat is aged for about two or three months. During this time, it becomes firm and changes to a dark red, almost purple color.
Bresaola is made from a lean part of the beef, which makes it very tender. It has a unique sweet and earthy smell. This delicious food first came from a place called Valtellina. This is a valley in the Alps mountains, located in northern Italy's Lombardy region. The name "Bresaola" comes from an old word in the Lombard language, bresada, which means "braised" or cooked slowly.
How Bresaola is Made
Making Bresaola involves a careful process to get its special taste. First, the beef is trimmed very well to remove most of the fat. Then, it's rubbed with a mix of coarse salt and different spices. These spices often include juniper berries, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
After being seasoned, the meat is left to cure for a few days. This helps the salt and spices soak in. Next, the meat goes through a drying period. This can last from one to three months, depending on how big the piece of Bresaola is. During this drying time, the meat loses a lot of its original weight, sometimes up to 40%! This process concentrates the flavors and makes the meat firm.
In the Valtellina region, they also make a similar product called slinzega. This is made using smaller pieces of meat and has a stronger flavor. Long ago, slinzega was often made from horse meat. Today, it can also be made from other meats like venison (deer meat) or pork.
How to Enjoy Bresaola
Bresaola is often served as an antipasto, which is an appetizer before a main meal. It's usually sliced very, very thin, almost like paper. You can eat it at room temperature or slightly chilled.
The most common way to enjoy Bresaola is by drizzling it with olive oil and lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. It's often served with a fresh green salad, like rocket (also known as rucola or arugula). A sprinkle of cracked black pepper and fresh Parmesan cheese makes it even tastier.
Sometimes people confuse Bresaola with carpaccio. While both are thinly sliced, carpaccio is made from raw beef that hasn't been cured. Bresaola, on the other hand, is cured and air-dried. If you have leftover sliced Bresaola, it's best to keep it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.
Similar Foods Around the World
The Bresaola made in Valtellina is very special. It has a "protected geographical indication" (PGI) status in Europe. This means only Bresaola made in Valtellina can be called "Bresaola della Valtellina." Other dried beef products made elsewhere might have different names, like viande séchée.
Here are a few other dried meats that are similar to Bresaola:
- Biltong: This is an air-dried cured meat from South Africa. It tastes quite similar to Bresaola.
- Bündnerfleisch: This comes from Grisons in Switzerland, which is right across the border from Valtellina.
- Brési: This dried meat is from the Doubs region of France.
- Pastirma: This is a highly seasoned, air-dried cured beef found in the foods of the eastern Mediterranean.
See also
In Spanish: Bresaola para niños
