Stories from the shop
Far su, until St Anthony's Day
The pig was butchered in winter, in December and January, and finished by St Anthony's Day, 17 January. What far su means and what is left of it today.
Salumeria Miatto
In the homes of the Treviso area (the Marca trevigiana), the pig was butchered in winter. It was family work with a precise calendar: it began when the cold came and was finished by St Anthony's Day, 17 January.
What “far su” means
“Far su”, in dialect, means dividing the animal into its parts, so that each one becomes straight away, while still fresh, the right salume: the sopressa, the salami, the other salumi of the house. Every family called in an expert from the village, and there were many “becheri”, the butchers. This is how the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Consortium tells it.
Why in winter
The work was done in the coldest months, December and January, because the cold helped to keep the meat. Then the salumi had the months of curing ahead of them: according to the Salumi della Marca Consortium, sopressa was eaten from late spring until autumn (salumidellamarca.it).
Sant'Antonio del porcello
17 January is the feast of St Anthony the Abbot, the patron saint of animals, the one who has a piglet at his feet in pictures. In the Marca they also called him “sant'Antonio del porcello”, St Anthony of the pig: by that day the work had to be finished.
And today?
Hardly anyone butchers a pig at home any more, and the meat of a pig butchered at home can only be eaten by the family, subject to checks. The salumi on sale are made in authorised workshops, under today's rules.
What remains is the waiting: a cured salume is ready when it's ready. To find out whether our sopresse are in, look at “In the shop today” on the home page, or leave your mobile number with “Notify me” on the sopressa page: we'll message you when it's back. The salsiccia fresca (fresh sausage), on the other hand, doesn't have to wait for anything.
The words of far su
- Far su: to butcher the pig, to divide it into its parts.
- Mas-cio: the pig.
- Becher: the butcher; in the plural, “becheri”.
- Sant'Antonio del porcello: 17 January, the feast of St Anthony the Abbot.
- Pan e sopressa: the classic snack, with a glass of Prosecco or Raboso.
