Oven-roasted pork loin: a tasty and versatile dish.

Arista. For those who love good and flavorful meat, the word is enough. The pork loin baked in the oven is a typical dish of the Tuscan peasant tradition, also widespread in other Italian regions. It is one of the best cuts of pork: it is appreciated by everyone because it is tender, lean, and has an irresistible flavor.

The arista is obtained from the central loin and, thanks to its pink and tasty meat, it is also recommended for children. Since it can be used in many recipes, it has always been one of the favorite dishes of grandmothers during important celebrations and has always been considered one of the main courses on Sundays. An additional reason for its great success is that arista can be consumed cold, many hours after cooking, without losing its flavor: a fundamental aspect, especially for the farmers of the past.

THE ORIGINS OF THE NAME

But where does the term “arista” come from? This is a curious story that deserves to be told. The legend has it that the dish was born in Florence on a day between January 15 and 27 of 1439, during the ecumenical council of the Roman and Greek church, called to reconcile the schism that had lasted since 1054. On this occasion, a banquet was set for the patriarchs of the Greek church, in which this dish was served, known at that time by another name.

In front of a delicious roast pork, it is said that the Greek cardinal Bessarion exclaimed aloud all his uncontrollable enthusiasm. He turned to the other diners and repeated several times “Ariston! Ariston!”, which in Greek means “excellent, the best”. The Florentines were captivated by this exotic name, it sounded quite good, and thus they decided to name the delicious pork loin “arista”.

It is probably just a legend and perhaps, more simply, the name comes from other Greeks, a bit less famous: those who had already settled in Florence (in Borgo dei Greci, indeed) for a couple of centuries and made their living by manufacturing perfumes. In any case, one thing is certain: the name of this dish was chosen by foreigners captivated by its goodness.

PORK ARISTA: CHARACTERISTICS

Very tasty and at the same time versatile, pork arista is rich in proteins and amino acids, substances essential for our body. From a mineral point of view, it also contains good quantities of potassium and phosphorus. Therefore, in modern diets, it is often preferred over beef slices, which instead have too much cholesterol. In particular, arista turns out to be one of the best cuts: it is the boneless part of the carré, also known as pork loin, lombo or lombata (it depends on the regions). To make a correctly crafted arista, the portion of the “saddle” that involves the muscles and the vertebrae to which the ribs are attached is indeed used; it is the butcher’s or chef’s responsibility to carefully separate the meat from the bone and reassemble everything (cleaning, trimming, and debreasing) before cooking.

OVEN ROASTED ARISTA: RECIPES

Sunday is approaching and you have no ideas to bring to the table to impress friends and family? Pork arista baked in the oven is the perfect solution for a successful meal. Serving a roast worthy of its name, however, is a task that requires diligence and patience, because to make the meat tender and succulent requires experience and skill. If you don’t want to spend too much time in preparation but want to achieve a high-quality result, the most effective solution is to buy a packaged roast arista from excellent salumerias, like the one offered by Salumificio Pavoncelli.

Roast arista is a perfect second course to serve with oven-baked potatoes, but in this field, you can literally let your imagination run wild: you can pair it with porcini mushrooms, boiled beans, or grilled vegetables. It is also exceptional with mashed potatoes or a dish of pearà, a side dish typical of the Veronese tradition.

PORK ARISTA: PAIRINGS

Pork meat is rustic, flavorful, and genuine: it requires an accompaniment of full-bodied wines, but that can embrace the taste of the dishes with a certain gentleness. To accompany a dish with a particularly intense flavor like roast pork arista, it is ideal to choose full-bodied wines like Chianti or Barbera. Among the Chianti, we recommend the Rufina Riserva DOCG Terre di Avanella, while among the Barbera the Superiore "Rocca delle Rocche" is excellent. Great pairings are also Montepulciano d'Abruzzo or a Valpolicella Superiore, which has a prestigious structure with a particularly thick tannic component.

Federico Risi