Central Italy lamb

History and origin

Sheep have lived on the central Apennines for centuries, and the proof lies in the names of the breeds: many are named after the places where they adapted best, from Sopravissana to Fabrianese, from Pomarancina to Gentile di Puglia. The bond between those pastures, the flocks and the people who raise them is the foundation of the protected geographical indication.

From the mid-twentieth century the meat of lambs raised in this area began to earn a reputation for its eating quality, as conferences and promotional campaigns of the time show. Patient selection of genetic types long present on the central Apennines produced animals that grow quickly and yield well.

The protection consortium, which today coordinates the certified supply chain, presents the PGI lamb as the legacy of centuries of sheep farming and transhumance, a practice the specification still allows during the months outdoors.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Agnello del Centro Italia IGP · Consorzio di tutela Agnello del Centro Italia IGP — Il territorio

Area and method of production

The area covers all of Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche, Tuscany and Umbria, plus the provinces of Bologna, Rimini, Forlì-Cesena and Ravenna and part of those of Modena, Reggio Emilia and Parma. The lambs, under twelve months old, belong to traditional breeds of the area and their crosses: among them Appenninica, Sopravissana, Merinizzata Italiana, Comisana, Gentile di Puglia and Pagliarola.

Until weaning they drink only their mother's milk; afterwards they eat forage from natural meadows and pastures, legumes and grasses grown in the area, with limited feed supplements. They are kept outdoors for at least eight months a year, and transhumance is allowed during that time.

Carcasses are graded by weight: light lamb from about 8 to 13 kg, heavy lamb above 13, and wether above 20. Certification is carried out by a body authorised by the Ministry.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Agnello del Centro Italia IGP · eAmbrosia — Agnello del Centro Italia (PGI-IT-0808) · Consorzio di tutela Agnello del Centro Italia IGP — La filiera IGP

How to recognise it

The meat is light pink, with a balanced fat cover, and very tender. Intramuscular fat is minimal, less than one gram per hundred grams of meat: the result is a delicate flavour that suits even simple cooking.

It is sold as light lamb, heavy lamb and wether, the three types set by the specification, which differ in weight, fat and conformation. Cuts range from the whole carcass, with or without head and pluck, to the half carcass, leg and shoulder, rack, fillet, cutlets, saddle and neck.

Fresh meat keeps in the fridge for only a few days. On sale the name of the indication always comes with the type, so buyers know which of the three they are choosing.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Agnello del Centro Italia IGP

In the kitchen

It is a lean, delicate meat that lends itself to many dishes. In the pan it is cooked with sage, rosemary and white wine; roasted, it is at its best cooked slowly at a low temperature, around 80-85 degrees.

The consortium suggests recipes that speak of Abruzzo too: cecatelli with lamb ragù and saffron from L'Aquila, lamb's liver with a cooked-must sauce, alongside tagliatelle with a white ragù and artichokes, and small meatballs on a mushroom cream.

In Abruzzo cooking lamb also goes into the little meatballs served with spaghetti alla chitarra in tomato sauce, the same ones found in the Teramo timballo: a good way to taste it in home-style dishes while travelling through the region.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Agnello del Centro Italia IGP · Consorzio di tutela Agnello del Centro Italia IGP — Ricette · Italia.it — Prodotti e piatti tipici abruzzesi: la guida

Protection

• Protected geographical indication (PGI) — PGI-IT-0808 (eAmbrosia — Agnello del Centro Italia (PGI-IT-0808))

When

• The sources consulted give no months.

Where

Abruzzo