The Origin Of The Porchetta

As the name suggests, Porchetta (Roasted Pork) derives from pork. Pig breeding in Italy has always been very important and its development follows human evolution, since the time of the Etruscans.

The Romans also cooked and loved this type of meat. They are the ones who handed down to us the “Porcellum farcilem”, a recipe with pork very close to the Porchetta that we still eat today. The Apicius cookbook includes this recipe, for this reason it is very likely that the origin is from central Italy.

Some food experts say it comes from Ariccia, Lazio. Porchetta from Ariccia is an IGP (Typical Geographical Indication) product. Other experts say it comes from Abruzzo or Umbria. But everyone agrees that porchetta is one of the best products of Italian culinary art.

Porchetta is also one of the main attractions of festivals across the country. In 1950 the “porchettari” (the men who made porchetta) of Ariccia set up the first “Sagra della Porchetta di Ariccia“, with the aim of honoring this delicious product. They wanted to celebrate its goodness and from that date every year, this event is repeated that fascinates curious and lovers of this Italian food.

So what is it? How is this ancient specialty produced?

This tasty recipe comes from the whole pig that is boned and then seasoned. The spices and aromas are pepper, rosemary and sage. In some cases, wild fennel replaces rosemary. This is done especially in the regions of upper Lazio, Umbria, Marche and Romagna. After that, the pork cooks for five to eight hours until the skin is crisp and juicy.

One of the best ways to eat porchetta is with bread. The Porchetta sandwich is the most common food served in the village festivals that celebrate this tasty recipe. But if you want to serve porchetta for a home lunch then you could for example serve it hot with a side of roasted potatoes and a good glass of red wine.