Russians are a meat-loving nation, and the table cannot be separated from meat. The weather in Russia is cold, and meat can supplement calories. It is normal to eat a lot of meat, but what happens if you eat fatty pork raw?
You might think, that must be hard to swallow, right? No, in Russia, eating raw fatty pork is a common thing, in fact, Russians simply cannot live without raw fatty pork. Drinking a sip of vodka and taking a big bite of a piece of raw fat pork is a kind of life enjoyment for Russians.
When outsiders hear it, they are often stunned. After all, it is no longer the age of ruthlessness and blood drinking. Such a barbaric way of eating does not conform to the rules of human civilization, but the Russians proudly say, yes! We just eat fatty pork raw, and if you’ve ever eaten it, you know how delicious it is, and you can’t live without it.
Salo’s marinated raw fat pork that
Russians eat is called Salo (Сало). This dish is a home-cooked dish in Russia. Although it is raw fat pork, of course it is not cut from the pig’s body to eat, but First marinate the raw fat pork with salt, pepper, chili and other spices. After it tastes good, put it in the refrigerator or store it in a cool and ventilated place. When eating, cut it into thin slices and serve.
The production method of Salo is not difficult. Take a piece of good fat pork with a thickness of more than three centimeters. You must use fresh fat pork. Fresh fat pork should be light pink or white. Generally speaking, the fat from the neck to the shoulder blade of the pig is the best, and the meat is thick and tender.
After selecting the raw materials, cut the fat pork into large pieces, soak them in concentrated brine for two days, then take the pieces out of the brine, drain the water, and then spread the salt on the pieces of meat to let the whole meat The pieces are coated with salt.
Then prepare a large wooden box, spread a layer of clean kraft paper inside, and then sprinkle salt about 1 cm thick on the kraft paper, then spread the meat pieces in the box, and after laying a layer, sprinkle about 1 cm on top. Centimeter-thick salt, and various seasonings such as bay leaf, pepper, pepper, fennel, etc., and then continue to spread the second layer. In this way, a layer of meat, a layer of salt and seasoning, until the entire wooden box is filled.
After filling, put a layer of clean kraft paper or cloth on it, then cover the lid, press stones or other heavy objects on the lid, and then put the box in a cool place, wait for a while, the seasoning is almost delicious, You can eat it at any time, don’t worry if you can’t finish it in a short time, just store it in a cool place, so that the pickled salo can be preserved for a long time.
Some people worry that eating raw fatty pork may contain bacteria and parasites. In fact, fat is mainly used to make Salo’s fat meat, not lean meat. Most of the parasites live in the pig’s liver, muscles, brain and other organs In, but not parasitic in fat.
Salo and Vodka The Salo eaten by the
Russians , in the eyes of outsiders, is still raw, cold and greasy fat even after being pickled. It is hard to swallow. But for Russians, a slice of black bread, a few slices of salo, a plate of pickles, and a glass of vodka are simply delicious.
Russians sometimes put Salo, pickled cucumbers, green vegetables, etc. together in black bread, like a sandwich. The pickled cucumbers are crisp and delicious, and the black bread is soft and thick, with a few slices of salo sandwiched in the middle. When you bite into it, you don’t feel the greasyness of raw fat meat at all, but it is actually quite delicious.
Salo is inseparable from vodka, and they are the best partners. Before drinking, eat a few slices of Salo. Since Salo is fat, it can ensure that the alcohol is absorbed slowly, which reduces the damage of alcohol to the stomach.
In addition, because Salo has been marinated with salt and various spices before eating, and then served with garlic and green vegetables, it does not have the greasy feeling of raw meat and becomes a delicious and nutritious appetizer.
History of
Salo Salo is one of the favorite foods of the Russians, but it is said that the origin of Salo was first in ancient Italy. As early as two thousand years ago, slaves in Italian quarries first ate this kind of food, because the nobles only ate meat at that time. They thought pig fat was garbage, so they used the garbage to feed slaves.
Later, the ancient Romans rubbed this food with coarse salt and stored it in marble containers. Because the stone can keep the temperature lower, it can be stored for a longer time, so that they can feed more slaves. A cheap junk food called lardo.
As time went by, lardo was no longer just a food for slaves, some commoners also began to eat it, and later, it even appeared on the tables of nobles, but the lardo eaten by the nobles was not simply rubbed with coarse salt by the slaves Instead, it is a delicacy made with spices such as pineapple, rosemary, and fennel. Soon, because of its simplicity, convenience and nutrition, lardo began to be supplied to the army and became one of the diets of the Roman legions.
Later, Salo spread to ancient Russia, where the climate was cold. Due to Salo’s high heat, it soon became the food of the Slavs. Initially, Salo was only the food of Slavic civilians, because lean meat and bones were very expensive, and only nobles could afford it. After the commoners learned to pickle Salo, this food helped them survive the long winter. After that, the audience of Salo became more and more popular, and people added more spices to Salo, and Salo finally became a delicacy that the Slavs could not do without.
However, there is another theory about the origin of salo, which is that it is a Ukrainian invention. In the 16th century, the Islamic Tatars often invaded the Slavs, plundering property, cattle and sheep. In order to scare away the invaders, the Slavs came up with a way: they raised piglets in large numbers. Pigs disgusted the Tartars, and they did not plunder them.
The Slavs found this trick useful, so they raised more pigs and wiped various items with lard. They even used lard to smear the curtains and hang them at the door of the cellar to protect the contents of the cellar from being looted by Muslims. Sure enough, The smell of lard scares off intruders.
After scaring away the Tatars with lard, because too many pigs were raised, in order to preserve pork for a long time, they began to salt the raw pork for storage. This was the early Salo. But lean pork is prone to expiration, compared to salo marinated with fatty pork, whether it is refrigerated or not, it can be kept longer.
At the time, Salo was seen as an inexpensive, nutritious food that was often eaten by farmers to keep them strong and healthy. Salo is considered a high-calorie male food that embodies strength and courage. In the Ukrainian countryside, there is still a saying: “A man who doesn’t eat salo can’t do physical work.” Up
to now, salo has become a popular delicacy for Ukrainians and Russians, and people who eat it can’t do physical work. There has long been no distinction between nobles and commoners. Especially in Russia, Salo has met vodka as a good partner again. One sip of vodka is one sip of Salo. Ask the Russians, is there any better enjoyment than this?
Today, pork fat is considered unhealthy in other parts of the world, but in Russia it remains one of the most popular delicacies. If you go to Russia, don’t forget to try Salo, maybe it will suit your appetite, and you will fall in love with it ever since.
