Ventricina
History
Ventricina has been named after the ancient farmers' practice to put into the pig belly big pieces of pork. Rather than a cold cut, it represented a sort of precious meat reserve. According to the legend, Ventricina of Crognaleto, sewn in the pig belly and sometimes filled in with sausages, was very appreciated by the King of Naples in the 19th century. Moreover, according to the tradition, at the moment of the pig killing in Abruzzi it was necessary to have at disposal a chair and a fine glass of wine. As a matter of fact, during the butchering, the head of the family almost fainted: for this reason, he needed a chair and a sip of Montepulciano to recover. This tale witnesses the affection he felt for the pig, since the animal lived at direct contact with the family and ate the leftovers. The rite of butchering represented a moment of celebration and, at the same time, a sad moment of necessary cruelty.
