Air-dried salted beef from the Valtellina in Lombardy, sliced paper-thin and served with lemon and oil. The dry Alpine air is what preserves the lean meat, and it has been PGI protected since 1996.
It is raw beef cured at ambient temperature for months where safety depends on measured nitrite and salt and on Alpine humidity; too dry and it case-hardens, too damp and it spoils inside.
What goes into it
- lean beef from the round
- salt and curing salt
- black pepper, juniper, bay and cinnamon
- sometimes wine
How it is made
Whole lean muscles are trimmed of every trace of fat, salted with spices and turned in their own liquor for two or three weeks, then cased and hung in the Valtellina’s cold dry mountain air. They dry for one to three months, losing around 40 percent of their weight, and the leanness that makes them dry evenly is also why they must not dry too fast.
How long it takes: one to three months of drying after the salt
How it is eaten
Sliced paper-thin with rocket, parmesan, lemon and olive oil.
History
Air-cured in the Alpine Valtellina valley of Lombardy, where dry mountain air preserves lean beef; PGI protected since 1996.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bresaola?
Bresaola is a charcuterie & cured from Italy: air-dried salted beef from the Valtellina, sliced paper-thin. Air-cured in the Alpine Valtellina valley of Lombardy, where dry mountain air preserves lean beef; PGI protected since 1996.
How is Bresaola made?
Whole lean muscles are trimmed of every trace of fat, salted with spices and turned in their own liquor for two or three weeks, then cased and hung in the Valtellina’s cold dry mountain air. They dry for one to three months, losing around 40 percent of their weight, and the leanness that makes them dry evenly is also why they must not dry too fast. It takes one to three months of drying after the salt.
Can I make Bresaola at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is raw beef cured at ambient temperature for months where safety depends on measured nitrite and salt and on Alpine humidity; too dry and it case-hardens, too damp and it spoils inside.
What goes into Bresaola?
Lean beef from the round, salt and curing salt, black pepper, juniper, bay and cinnamon, sometimes wine.
How is Bresaola eaten?
Sliced paper-thin with rocket, parmesan, lemon and olive oil.
