Etymology and History
Porchetta comes from the Latin "porchetti", in Italian" porchetto ", or small pig.
- the first, to which we will refer in the following paragraphs, is used to name a roast of young pig, gutted, boned, scraped from the hair, with the head, seasoned, impaled, tied (sewn) and cooked in order to give crunchiness to the rind external;
- the second indicates the young specimen of Sus scrofa domesticus (pig); in fact, it is not uncommon for a small pig (often still dairy) to be directly called porchetta, as it is the favorite cooking for this type of meat for slaughter.
- the third meaning, used in central Italy (in the same areas in which pork was born and is still consumed), indicates any preparation flavored with wild fennel or seeds or dried flowers of the same plant; a classic example is the "rabbit in porchetta" (hence also the term "porchetta").
It is conceivable that porchetta is a recipe of central Italian origin, more precisely from the area of Ariccia (just south of the capital), where the well-known crater of Vallericcia opens up. Here, in the Assisi culture, the goddess Ceres was worshiped (divinity of the subsoil linked to the fertility of the earth, from which the name "cereals" was extrapolated); following the development of Roman culture (influenced by the Greek one), Ceres became Demeter and, in the same places, temples were erected in honor of Maia (also of Ionian origin, spring goddess, mother and wife of Vulcan, and symbol of fertility). At the beginning of the twentieth century, with the discovery of various artifacts, some statues were found depicting the sacrifice of small pigs (porchette) to Ceres, and of large pregnant sows to Maia (which gave its name to the very common "pig").
Ariccia was therefore the main seat of the sacrificial pig farms, offered about a week old in the Casaletto temple. It is no coincidence that since 1950, in the month of September, the "Sagra della Porchetta" has been celebrated in the square of Corte Ariccia, which today uses the mark of Typical Geographical Indication (PGI).
For further information: Porchetta di Ariccia »
What is the Porchetta
As anticipated, porchetta is a dish cooked in the oven. It is a roasted suckling pig (if small, some cook it on a spit), previously gutted, boned, stripped of the hair on the rind, seasoned, impaled and tied (stitched).
In theory, the porchetta should NOT be more than one year old (<90-100kg) BUT it shouldn't be "dairy" (4-5kg) either; probably, the ideal size is around 30-40kg.
What distinguishes the various porchetta (Lazio, Umbrian, Abruzzo, Marche, Romagna, etc.) is the mixture used for the dressing, whose fundamental components are: coarse salt, black pepper, fennel (or seeds or flowers), jacketed garlic, rosemary, liver and spleen (the latter ground); more or less optional wine and olive oil.
The cooking takes place in the oven (once fueled by wood), but there are variations more similar to the "Sardinian porceddu", the "Slovenian spit" or the Sicilian "porceddu sutta terra".
Porchetta can be eaten hot, cold, in stuffed sandwiches or in various preparations such as first courses or complex dishes. What distinguishes a good porchetta from a poor or badly preserved one is the consistency of the rind; this, while accompanying a meat and a soft fat, it must be crunchy like a cookie.
Nutritional Characteristics
Porchetta is a very energetic food. Calories are essentially supplied by fats and proteins (of high biological value). Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are absent, as is dietary fiber.
Many believe that its rind is a portion rich in lipids; on the contrary, it is a collagenous surface which, by itself, contains mainly proteins. However, underneath it, an evident layer of adipose (extremely fatty) tissue is shown. It is no coincidence that the cholesterol intake is also quite high.
As far as vitamins are concerned, porchetta is rich in niacin (vit. PP) and, more generally, in many others of group B; there is no lack of retinol (vit. A). As for minerals, on the other hand, food abounds in iron, potassium and sodium.
Due to its very high energy intake, porchetta is a highly inadvisable food in case of overweight and does not lend itself to a low-calorie slimming diet. should be equivalent (more or less) to that of monounsaturated; on the other hand, apart from the ratio, the absolute share of saturated fatty acids is still very high and this (in association with the generous cholesterol content) makes it not very advisable in the case of hypercholesterolemia. Finally, the high sodium content (which often abounds to increase its conservation) also excludes it from the diet of the hypertensive subject.
The average portion of porchetta fluctuates between 100 and 200g, depending on the cut; the frequency of consumption must in any case be sporadic.
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