While in the north of the Alps speck is preserved through smoking and in the south it is dried in the open air, here in South Tyrol we have blended the two methods, and they have come together to create the characteristic taste of Speck Alto Adige,“ says Peter Siebenförcher.
In 1929 the Siebenförcher butcher’s was found by Gottfried Siebenförcher, grandfather of today’s master butcher. In later years, the family business was split between the two sons – Gottfried Jr., who today runs the Siebenförcher butcher’s under the Meran/Merano arcades, and Max Siebenförcher who ten years ago handed down the butcher’s shop in Gratsch/Quarazze, which has borne his name since 1970, to his son Peter. Today, Peter Siebenförcher employs 16 members of staff in the butcher’s. His wife Claudia manages the retail side of the business, while Peter is in charge of production. “Customer preferences are very different to how they used to be,” Siebenförcher has noticed. “There is an increasing trend towards lean speck.” However, as he points out, fat is an excellent flavour-carrier. “Italian consumers often prefer a softer speck,” the master butcher reports. In production, Siebenförcher says, there have been few changes over the last few years. “The speck is still produced by hand. The meat is hand-chopped, hand-seasoned and brought to the smoking room. Technology is of assistance above all in the warehouse,” Peter explains. In the past speck was hung in the cellar, but the quality suffered if the summer months were a little too hot. In the storage facilities of today the temperature and humidity can be adjusted as required, preserving the speck perfectly.
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Production facility