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Saturday, November 13, 2010

The Feldkieker...

Just came back from Tegut with a freshly matured batch of Feldkieker! A fermented-sausage unique for many reasons - but loved for just two - taste and texture...

The Feldkieker seems to have originated, or at least been perfected, just under 1 hr from here in the Eichsfeld region. Starting with 12 month old pigs (as opposed to the usual 6-8 months), the butcher then uses a unique and challenging casing of pig skin to ferment and age the mixture of meat and secret spices. The end product seems to be prehistoric in nature. Irregular in shape, the meat inside appears almost as uncooked ground - yet the enticingly familiar aroma assures you it is absolutely prime for the spreading on a slice of cheese and topping with mustard!

This sausage was made in an innovative meat plant in Fulda (the same city I study in each Monday) - working directly with a small number of certified-organic pork producers to make a very traditional sausage, sustainably - and at a reasonable if fair price (~$18/lb)

I'll end with a very roughly translated quote from a recent German blog - "Wurst-Sucht" [Sausage-Obsession]. The language is passionate if not shocking - yet I have no doubt that it describes the magic experienced by any child lucky enough to have been raised in a family rich in regional meat tradition:

"Whenever I visited my grandma, my cousin and I snuck in from time to time in this chamber. We lay on the stone floor, our arms behind our heads, looking longingly into the sausage heaven. The Stracke, the bubbles, and the ham gave off an intense smell of smoke and spices. Fat droplets glistened on the ends of sausages in the sun, which stole through the wooden slats like magically sparkling stalactites. We passionately breathed in the aromas like old connoisseurs and with a bite, the water shot us in the mouth. I still have this taste in my mouth. It was the first orgasm."

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