Brescian spit vs Treviso spit
Grilled meat: the fire of discord
The cooking method, the choice of seasonings for grilled and grilled meat , the power of the fire and other small details define the difference and, depending on the geographical origin and the faction to which one belongs, establish the best spit.
What is the spit?
The spit has medieval origins and consists of an iron rod with a sharp tip, at the time wood was used. During hunting sessions, a fire was lit, the captured game was broken into coarse pieces and cooked, so as to recover energy for the next hunt. Even Leonardo Da Vinci in the Codex Atlanticus spent part of his time creating an ancestor of the automatic rotisserie. In addition to beef, pork and sausage , the spit can be prepared - and perhaps the most classic version, with chicken meat .
Brescia or Treviso: docet tradition
The two provinces compete for the perfect spit. On the Brescia side, everyone knows it as "mombolo" and it sits perfectly on a fireplace in full force. The Treviso area chooses to take a step forward and includes the spit in the Ministry's list of traditional and typical agri-food products of the area. If the first variant is lost in times gone by, for the second the most avid supporter: Danilo Gasparini, president of the Accademia dello Spiedo d'Altamarca, demonstrates the origin of the disputed dish.
Those who are not from the area struggle to understand the dispute and can resolve the dilemma by purchasing selected cuts of meat from their trusted online butcher shop and trying to put both recipes on the table. If you need an excuse to put meat on the fire for a barbecue, well, the diatribe is served!
Treviso meat skewer. Things
The legends that are lost behind the birth of the Treviso spit are confirmed by some truths derived from the peasant tradition. In the beginning the typical dish did not contain beef , but rather small birds that came within range of the sniper on duty. Since the place is rich in vines and nature, small bunches of grapes were once left hanging from the vines, so as to activate birds and then capture them and skewer them to create fragrant and tasty dishes.
At the time it was customary to intersperse the meat with potatoes, so as to enrich the flavor of the spit and make the meat softer. Furthermore, the variant was also used because the meat was a "celebration" dish since the wealth of the people was limited. . The post-war period saw the spit enriched with grilled chicken and pork.
How to prepare Treviso spit
The pillars of the Treviso spit are: goodness in flavour, patience in preparation. First you need to light the embers well in advance: at least a few hours! Dry, non-resinous wood is the perfect base, especially considering that the meat will have to remain on the fire for a minimum time ranging between 4 and 5 hours, which is why it must be resistant.
The meat to be used is pork in addition to something else. The ideal is to create a combo of grilled beef to be interspersed with squares of pork loin. To be truly top, the spit must have aromas of aromatic herbs, the Treviso area says that excellence is represented by small-leaved sage. The preparation of the pork must be done well in advance, at least the day before so as to prepare a dry marinade in a workmanlike manner. The skewered pork meat must be interspersed with a slice of lard , a sage leaf and a piece of your other favorite meat. Dry marinating consists of wrapping the meat in a cloth after lightly salting it.
Brescian meat skewer. Things
The Brescian spit, unlike its close relative, does not hold any high-ranking title, it is "only" good. Once again the origin comes from afar, it was born as a dish poor in substance but rich from an aesthetic point of view. The preparation has always taken a lot of time, which is why the dish was used in "poor" times. Once upon a time it was necessary to work hard to fill the belly, to use all the parts of the animal to avoid unnecessary waste.
The Brescian spit was born more or less like this, partly by mistake and partly to use any pork , so much so that even today there is a saying that says: "Nothing about pork is thrown away!". Undisputed truth, subscribed and amplified. Today the Brescian spit is popular in many provinces and, not having to respect a specific protocol for preparation, everyone does as they please.
Brescian spit how to prepare it
Firm meat next to fatty meat. The skewer must first be skewered into a potato and prepared the evening before. There must be two types of meat, and only two. One the pig , the other your choice. These are the basic rules for preparing the Brescia spit without errors, freedom of choice is allowed in all secondary and additional processes.
The embers must be lit at least half an hour beforehand, there is no particular ritual as in the case of Treviso, and there are no particular details to consider when it comes to fire. In short, you can use your favorite technique, perhaps the one for grilling beef! The peculiarity of the Brescian spit, hence its growing interest, is given by the momboli: slices of coppa rolled up with sage leaves and lard.
Treviso spit vs Brescia spit
Who win? On the one hand the undisputed tradition given by a rigid and meticulous attention to the cooking method and times. From the other free will to the imagination that ranges between extravagant ideas and contrasting flavours. Difficult to choose; you need to start with quality cuts of Italian meat such as the Carne Genuina proposal. From then on, it will just be a fantastic descent and perhaps create a perfect and original mix made of new perfumes or innovative combinations.
