The Best Italian Cotechini and Zamponi

The history of Zampone is also part of the history of Modena: its first appearance there was in Mirandola during the siege of Pope Julius II. The inhabitants of the place, to hide the pigs, so that they would not fall into the hands of the invaders, butchered them and put the minced meat in the paws. The particular shape of the Zampone and the softness that guaranteed this type of container remained forever to the present day. Emile Zola loved it and used to say: “if you want joy, the paw gives joy to a sad soul!”.

Even cotechino seems to be a classic of the Modena tradition, but l&' origin, in truth, is a sort of diatribe with the Friulians, who claim l&' invention. Surely the art of placing meat in a gut for preservation is a very ancient practice linked to the tradition of even Celtic peckers. In Italy it became a real poor sausage: it was usually eaten with soup and vegetable soup (we have dedicated an in-depth study on cooking cotechino).

Because of their succulence, zampone and cotechino need a particularly degreasing wine, and the absolute best is Lambrusco. Also excellent to combine with the classic Mantuan Mostarda