VIII. Ut carnes sine sale quovis tempore recentes sint
Carnes recentes quales volueris melle tegantur, sed vas pendeat et, quando volueris, utere. Hoe hieme melius fit, aestate paucis diebus durabit. Et in carne cocta itidem facies.
VIII To preserve meat for a long time without salt
Cover fresh meat of all kinds with honey; leave the container hanging so you can use it whenever you want. During the winter the effect will be better. In the summer, the meat will keep for a few days. You CAN use the same procedure for cooked meat.
This is a recipe taken from the book of Marco Gavio Apicius, written in the fourth century AD
So it was done. With the addition of spices and with the use of the refrigerator.
In the photo above is what the duck leg looked like after three days of infusion in honey, without salt. The flesh is already beginning to darken.
This is what the duck leg looked like on March 3, six days later. Even darker.
.It’s been 15 days. Today, March 12, 2021, I bone it and I slice it. The meat is red, it looks raw. But there are no hints of rancid, martial, rot. The meat is healthy and firm. The aroma that is released is that of honey, when cut the meat is a little hard. Certainly a little is due to the animal, very free-range, but also to the pulp of the thigh, full of filaments and tendons
I prepare a vinaigrette with good olive oil (I would opt for a delicate oil, such as Ligurian Taggiasca, or an oil from the Lucca countryside, or even an oil from the Trapani hills. I have that of my friend Rosetta: fantastic, tasty and delicate at the same time ), orange juice, salt – a little more than a pinch since there is no salt in this meat – and pepper.
Salad, a few slices of peeled orange.
Taste: the predominant flavor is that of honey. The meat has a mild flavor, which contrasts with the texture – next time I’ll have to try the brisket. The whole is pleasant and … unexpected. Perfection with a little more tenderness, in my opinion possible with other parts of the duck.
I drank a Lambrusco di Modena with it. But in my opinion, a Brachetto d’Aqui could also be hazarded.
What can I say ….. my hobby is food.
Marcella Ansaldo