Pitina

Pitina is a traditional meat product originating from the province of Pordenone. It's made from a paste that contains lean meat (sheep, goat, roe deer, fallow deer, red deer or chamois) and fat (pork belly or shoulder). The meat and fat are seasoned with sea salt or rock salt, garlic, red wine, black pepper, and aromatic herbs.

The mixture is shaped into a ball, rolled in maize flour for preservation purposes, and it's then smoked over the embers of juniper wood and left to age. When cut, the pitina is lean with a fine grain. The aroma is smoky, while the flavor is rich and full-bodied.

The meat mixture was not stuffed into pig intestines due to the scarcity of swine in the area. Nowadays, most butchers use a combination of mutton, goat, pork, and beef, adding pork fat to soften the texture, while mushrooms or truffles are added occasionally for extra flavor.