intangible cultural heritage

Taste the Bovec Region- 'Ta suhe mesu'

area : Soca valley
category : traditional craftmanship
Some hunters still prepare ‘dried meat’ from chamois thighs, the rest of the fresh meat is used for a roast or chamois soup.
‘DRIED MEAT’
Game meat has always had a special importance in the Bovec region, as it often represented a source of livelihood. Today game meat is recognized as part of a healthy diet, due to the growing awareness and importance of sustainable meat.
Male chamois was in the past most commonly hunted or poached just before the mating season, at the end of October and early November. The aim was to get chamois with maximum tallow, which was then melted down and used in the winter as lard. Before the advent of freezers, whole chamois thighs were seasoned with salt and moderately smoked for three days with beech wood and juniper branch, and then dried. This is known as ‘dried meat’. In the same manner they also prepared meat from wethers, sheep or goats. Most commonly it was eaten like this: they cut a larger piece of ‘dried meat’ from which they cooked a soup called ‘ta suha župa’ (dry soup), in recent times enriched with rice. A piece of cooked ‘dried meat’ was eaten as a ham side dish. It could also be eaten as prosciutto, or they toasted slices on a plate on the wood stove. This form of meat preservation is still present today. Some hunters still prepare ‘dried meat’ from chamois thighs, the rest of the fresh meat is used for a roast or chamois soup.

LAMB
Lamb represents a very healthy meat, lean, low in fat, rich and high in quality proteins, and containing a range of essential minerals and vitamins. Therefore it is not surprising that grilled lamb is well-liked today. In the past, lamb was on the menu once a year in the Bovec region. Most often it was afforded in the autumn because lambs, in comparison with the date of their birth, were twice as big at that time. Needless to say, each gram of meat represented exquisite luxury. The increased demand for this delicacy from the Italians caused lamb sales to start in the spring, for Easter or Pentecost. Lamb for Easter lunch is prepared in a roasting tin, which has been smeared with grease. The lamb is seasoned with salt and, when available, with garlic, rosemary and carrot from the garden, then roasted in the oven for about an hour. As a side dish, polenta or potatoes are served, which are baked beside the lamb.
Lamb is a gift from nature; its sweet meat is derived from the goodness of mother’s milk, rich with blooming mountain flowers. Lamb from the Bovec region is reminiscent of honey, not only because of the taste, but also because the Bovec shepherd ate it rarely, and respectfully appreciated it as honey.
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