Zampone
Photo: Carmelita Caruana · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

Modenese tradition dates the zampone to the 1511 siege of Mirandola by the troops of Pope Julius II, when the besieged townspeople stuffed their last pork into the skin of pigs' trotters to keep it. The 18th century saw Modena and Ferrara argue over the zampone and the cotechino. Zampone Modena is now an IGP, eaten at Christmas and at the New Year dinner with lentils, and since 1991 Castelnuovo Rangone has cooked a giant one for the crowd each December.

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Common allergens: Celery

Make it at home

Yield Serves 6Hands-on 20 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 fresh zampone Modena IGP, about 1kg
  • 400g small brown lentils
  • 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stick, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Soak the fresh zampone in cold water for 12 hours, then prick the skin in a few places with a needle.
  2. Wrap it tightly in a cloth, tie the ends, and put it in a tall pot of cold water; bring slowly to a simmer and cook gently for about 3 hours without boiling.
  3. Meanwhile soften the onion, carrot and celery in the oil for 10 minutes, add the rinsed lentils, the bay leaf and water to cover by 3cm, and simmer 30 to 40 minutes until tender; season.
  4. Lift out the zampone, unwrap it, and slice it 1cm thick while hot.
  5. Serve the slices on the lentils with a spoon of the cooking juices.

Tip from the editors. A pre-cooked zampone in foil needs only 35 to 50 minutes in simmering water; skip the soaking and pricking.

Where to eat zampone

Zampone in Modena

Da Enzo ★ 4.2

€€ TrattoriaCentro Storico

Da Enzo in Modena's centro storico is a warm family trattoria near the Synagogue, serving gnocco fritto, tigelle and Emilian classics nightly.

OrderThe gnocco fritto with cured meats and the zampone with mashed potato.

TipSaturday dinner runs until midnight, later than the rest of the week; the kitchen closes on Mondays.

Directions

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