Tenca Farms, immersed in the fog and the colors of the fields, is located in the Po Valley. It was born from the passion and love for the land and from the stubborn desire to maintain the best traditions of a place unchanged in time. So all the resources it is endowed with have preserved the quality.
The climatic conditions of our area, between the rivers Po and Oglio, are characterized by great humidity both in winter and in summer: this is the ideal climate for the production of salumi. The fog, so hated by men, is a reliable and fundamental companion that allows the salumi to maintain their appropriate moisture, giving them the flavor, the softness and the sweetness, synonymous with authenticity and quality.
This slow aging process recalls the pleasure of the ancient and unrivaled flavors from the past. Mantua and its province are rich in history, art, culture and landscape. These beautiful and fascinating areas also pride themselves for gastronomic excellence in food and wine.
The Etruscans ate pork in the province of Mantua, as evidenced by the finds in the area of Forcello, south of Mantua. The tradition continued through the centuries until the Renaissance period of Isabella d’Este Gonzaga, the marquise of Mantua, who had a daily array of cured salami, salami made from tongue and cooked salami.
The breeds
The pigs of Tenca Farms are born from the Italian Landrace and Large White breeds crossed with Italian Duroc (which differs from the Danish and Pietrain for their muscle characteristics and build). Ours is a typical traditional pig with a fat layer that has a far greater thickness in respect to the new genotypes: at the same age, the thighs of traditional genotypes often reveal a lower weight than those of new commercial hybrids (with higher muscle growth), which are thinner and therefore there is a larger presence of water (which brings about a significant weight reduction during the cooking/aging of the meat) and are absolutely not suitable for the production of quality salumi. The traditional pig still maintains an unsurpassed quality of meat, especially in prosciutto.
The pigs selected for the production of our finest salami are bred up to the age of 12 months with a weight of 200 kg. Their diet is supplemented in the last months in order to bestow the meat with a maturity that contains the minimum quantity of water possible and an indispensable layer of fat that guarantees the sweetness of the salami in the long aging process. An expert nutritionist follows the pigs during their four phases of growth. Particular attention is paid to the sows during gestation and also to the wellbeing of the animal during its entire development.