Lucanica di Picerno con Finocchietto Selvatico
I
Origin
Basilicata
II
Description
A spiced fresh pork sausage from the Picerno area of Basilicata — ground pork shoulder, fat, wild fennel seed, peperoncino, garlic and red wine stuffed into natural casings. It is among Italy's oldest documented sausages (the Roman 'lucanica' mentioned by Apicius and Cicero is believed to have originated from Basilicata). Grilled over charcoal or fried in a pan, it is eaten as a secondo or crumbled into sauces.
III
The Thread
—The northern Italian descendant of the Roman lucanica — thin, coiled sausage used in risotto and as a snack, same ancient name and origin Roman
—Spiced pork sausage with garlic and wine — descended from the same Roman lucanica via Iberian contact Portuguese
—Coarsely ground pork with spices (chilli, garlic, fennel) — the cultural descendant of French-via-Lucanian sausage tradition brought to Louisiana Cajun · American
IV
Flavour Context
Fennel-sweet, faintly spicy, porky and wine-perfumed; the charcoal grill adds smokiness; the coarse grind gives texture — a sausage of ancient lineage and simple excellence
Pillars V — VII
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