Larderia Sanguinetti: the lard you don't expect in the Spaghetti & Mandolino shop

We are in the province of Massa and Carrara, within the borders of a small town clinging to the slopes of the Apuan Alps. Here, very precious marbles have always been extracted, such as those from the Gioia or Fossacava basin, which were also used in Roman times.

The product on which we will focus today, however, is Colonnata lard, which has a very close relationship with marble: the famous “basins” in which it is seasoned, in fact, are traditionally made of Canaloni glass, a type of fine-grained marble that creates the right environment for the maturation of cured meat. Not only that: in the centuries before ours, lard was also the food of quarrymen, engaged in a physically heavy activity and therefore in need of the caloric intake provided by pork fat, essential to be able to make it to the end of

Thanks to the presence of numerous well-dosed spices, Colonnata lard matures without the need for preservatives or additives of any kind, also thanks to the particular microclimate of the area; so let's get to know more closely one of the largest and most modern production companies

The Sanguinetti brand

The Larderia Sanguinetti in Via Giardino best embodies all the qualities of the Protected Geographical Indication attributed to the lard of Colonnata in 2004. Since its origins, the company has been investing in a quality product, made from a carefully selected raw material, to guarantee the lard the right thickness and to age for up to 15 months

“We sell sizes less frequently than 6 months, the minimum required by the regulations. Usually we reach 12-13 months, which we often also export abroad,” Andrea Sanguinetti, co-founder of Larderia together with his brother Emanuele, tells us. “We currently export about half of our production, especially to France. Other buying countries are Switzerland, Luxembourg and obviously Italy, with a demand that generally comes from the GDO or from the world of catering and catering.”

“Would you like to describe the company for those who have no way of visiting Colonnata?”

“Normally people imagine small shops or cellars when they think of this type of production reality, but our larderia is recently founded and had to pass all the checks of the ASL before going into business. The plant where it is located is a modern building of 300 square meters, renovated six years ago and equipped with all the necessary equipment to control the seasoning trend, in full compliance with HACCP regulations. I think it can be defined as a real laboratory, in which until 2017 we experimented with different spice mixes before deciding which one to use for our lard

“You and Emanuele are also passionate about cooking. Have you tried for yourself the recipes with which you recommend tasting your company's lard?

“Certainly. These are mostly local recipes, borrowed from the village tradition: they range from cream of lard to bruschetta of fig, nut and lard jam, to taglierini in beans or other dishes such as chained polenta. We certainly invite readers to try them and let them try them, to take the fame of Colonnata lard even further

We, for our part, can only join in the invitation

Chiara Tomasella