We all act like that: we hide the most precious things so no one can steal them!
Back in the days, farmers used several tricks to hide cheese, lard and ham, concealing them by means of marc, hay, ashes or marble holes. Without even knowing it, they triggered some chemical reactions making this food delicious.
It is possible that this very same thing happened to the ham produced in Ardesio (Bergamo), in the Upper Seriana Valley: in fact, more than one hundred and fifty years ago ham used to be hidden under the hay, being the most valuable product of the pig. The result is a delicious surprise!
During the Nineties, “Cà del Botto” recovered this kind of production in Ardesio. Bergamo pigs, fed exclusively with the traditional method, get slaughtered on site. The thighs are immediately processed and the ham undergoes the various ageing steps, without suffering any transportation trauma.
The magical place, the clear and dry air of the valley and the pig’s healthy nutrition ensure the enzymatic and biochemical reactions to activate during the ageing period, which goes on during 16 months: over this time, the ham gets stored in a room whose floor is covered by may hay, transmitting it all its perfumes.
The result is a unique product: intense, mellow, rich, with the perfect balance between sweetness and saltiness, featuring vegetal notes and dry fruit scents, highly refined and persistent.
We all act like that: we hide the most precious things so no one can steal them!
Back in the days, farmers used several tricks to hide cheese, lard and ham, concealing them by means of marc, hay, ashes or marble holes. Without even knowing it, they triggered some chemical reactions making this food delicious.
It is possible that this very same thing happened to the ham produced in Ardesio (Bergamo), in the Upper Seriana Valley: in fact, more than one hundred and fifty years ago ham used to be hidden under the hay, being the most valuable product of the pig. The result is a delicious surprise!
During the Nineties, “Cà del Botto” recovered this kind of production in Ardesio. Bergamo pigs, fed exclusively with the traditional method, get slaughtered on site. The thighs are immediately processed and the ham undergoes the various ageing steps, without suffering any transportation trauma.
The magical place, the clear and dry air of the valley and the pig’s healthy nutrition ensure the enzymatic and biochemical reactions to activate during the ageing period, which goes on during 16 months: over this time, the ham gets stored in a room whose floor is covered by may hay, transmitting it all its perfumes.
The result is a unique product: intense, mellow, rich, with the perfect balance between sweetness and saltiness, featuring vegetal notes and dry fruit scents, highly refined and persistent.
Soft bread with crunchy crust such as the so-called Garibalda, the typical bread from Bergamo; fruit like Calvenzano melon, dried figs and apricots; red wine Valcalepio D.O.P. Terre del Colleoni, D.O.P. sparkling wine, Terre del Colleoni D.O.C. rosso Incrocio Terzi.
