Cinta senese

More similar to wild boar than to the common pig, this rustic swine has a dark coat and a true "belt" of pinkish color that wraps around its chest, withers, and front legs. The Cinta Senese is the progenitor breed of pigs in Tuscany. Significantly less prolific than common pigs, the Cinta Senese almost faced extinction between the 1970s and 1990s. Fortunately, today there is a positive trend due to crossbreeding with common pigs called "Large White"; the recovery of the purebred Cinta Senese breed has been a topic in recent years and the work of passionate breeders.

Woods constitute its ideal habitat, where it feeds on acorns, tubers, roots, and organic material from the grassy carpet. This all-natural diet gives its meat unique characteristics: a redder color, a tastier flavor, a more intense aroma, and a higher concentration of unsaturated fatty acids, such as Omega 3 and Omega 6, compared to common pork meats.

If you are one of those who remove the fat from ham, with Cinta Senese you will have to make an exception. Its lard is indeed richer in oleic acid, the substance also found in olive oil that helps keep cholesterol low and prevent cardiovascular diseases; furthermore, its texture is much more fluid, more pleasing to the palate, to the point that you will hardly be able to distinguish the fat from the lean.

Certifications

To protect the quality and characteristics of this product, the Cinta Senese has obtained the DOP (Protected Designation of Origin). This means that production, processing, and elaboration take place in a specified geographical area characterized by recognized and established expertise.