Soppressata like granddad made

If you take the optional extension to our Advanced Salumi Course, we take you to the Rocchi’s Salumificio for another take on sausages, salami, soppressata and biroldo. Could there be yet another method? Yes! Gino Rocchi still uses his grandfather’s way of making soppressata — head cheese or brawn in English. He, his father and his uncle boil pigs’ heads, tongues and skin until they’re falling off the skulls. The meat falls apart by itself, but they slice the tongues and skin by hand. After seasoning it, they roll it up in a hemp cloth handwoven by Gino’s grandmother more than 70 years ago. The tying requires an ensemble of all three men with a rhythm you could dance to. Try it!

Then they dip it in the liquid the heads were boiled in and hang it up to drip. By the afternoon it’s ready for the fridge and in the morning — yummm!