Visiting the Crotti

In collaboration with american website www.gourmetcookingandliving.com

Autumn is the time of the grape harvest and of "Andèm a Cròt" (Visiting the Crotti). This typical event in Valchiavenna, in the Sondorio province in Italy, on the border of Switzerland, is a secular tradition, which each year, in September, is marked by the Crotti Festival. The origins of Chiavenna, one of the best-preserved historic village centers in Northern Italy, explains what these Crotti, better known as “natural refrigerators,” really are.

The actual town was a result of a great landslide of boulders. Between the cracks of these rocks called "sorei," an air current blows at a constant temperature in the summer and winter, around 46°, making it warm in the cold season and cool in the warm one. These cavities, therefore, not to be confused with regular cellars, over time have become a favorite place for the maturation of wine and the aging of cured meats and cheeses of the hill country.

The people of Chiavenna have used these "sorei" to construct small buildings, each with a small room and fireplace where there are still meetings to taste typical local products. To this day, in Valchiavenna, there are more than 80 crotti sites; first and foremost is the one in Pratogiano, where each year this particular festival takes place and has existed since the beginning of the 1200s. The motto of this event is affixed on the crotto of San Giovanni in Chiavenna, thanks to an inscription from 1781 that says: "One sells good wine and holds the school of life." A few words that explain the meaning of the crotti: cordiality, inner balance and respect for others.

For centuries the inhabitants of Valchiavenna have communicated these same qualities with their food, made up of simple dishes and natural products with unique qualities, which can be enjoyed in the crotti. First there is "brisaola," (derived from "brisa," a very salty bovine gland, or from "brase," which means embers in local dialect) which is a fine cured meat obtained from the best cuts of beef that has existed in the area since 1400. When compared to the more famous Bresaola della Valtellina, it has a complementary aging step—smoking—that some artisans proudly continue to do.

Another interesting and excellent local product, especially in times of economic hardship, is the "goat violin," a prosciutto made from the thigh or the shoulder of a goat that traditionally comes sliced like the musical instrument of the same name, leaning against the shoulder, using the knife as if it was a bow. An important practice is to cut the whole piece of meat and to finish it before the meal is over; otherwise it's bad luck. It's the blend of spices and aromatic essences that make the flavor of this cured meat unique—cloves, bay leaves, coriander, garlic, juniper berries and pepper, plus other ingredients that each artisan jealously keeps secret. The product has also been under the protection of the Slow Food association since 2000.

Another typical food tradition is the cooking of pork spare ribs, sausages, potatoes and onions "a la piota." on a slab of rock, or in "lavéec," a soapstone carved on a lathe, with the addition of wine and spices. The peculiarity is that it doesn't require any seasoning because during the cooking process the food releases the excess fat, enhancing the natural flavors of the dish while maintaining its nutritional properties. It was also once said that the stone could remove any poisonous substance.

Last but not least, there are cheeses such as "mascarpin," a soft and delicate cheese with a taste that becomes more intense in the summer season, thanks to the permanence of goats in the pastures, where they enjoy an excellent all-natural diet. Among the flour-based dishes, there is Chiavenna pizzoccheri, small savory gnocchi, and among the desserts, there is the "torta di fioretto," which takes its name from the wild fennel flowers that are crumbled into it, and Prost biscotti. An historic product that for more than 100 years, with its simple ingredients (flour, sugar and butter), has been a testimonial to the long milling business of Chiavenna along with the Bottonera Mill, a 19th century structure that today is used as the site of the museum of industrial archaeology.

By ADV Service