Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Speck-tacular Views and Smoky Brews in Sauris

From the heights of the snowcapped Dolomites to the verdant Valle del Cibo, I recently had the delicious pleasure of visiting a number of the finest food and drink producers in northern Italy, taking in lots of pretty countryside along the way and getting to known some of the friendliest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.

Day two of my foodie odyssey had me saying goodbye to the Dolomite gateway town of Forni di Sopra and heading even higher (and deeper) into the Alps to the tiny Germanic enclave of Sauris for a taste of the local delicacies and to take in the breathtaking views.

The drive from Forni di Sopra to Sauris is roughly 35 or 40 kilometres and pretty much uphill all the way. As the crow flies though, it’s probably not even half that distance. If you like hairpins curves, sheer drop-offs with tight (if any) shoulders and curvy no-end-in-sight tunnels, the routes up to and down from Sauris are for you. Getting there was indeed half the fun for me. I hadn’t been ‘out there and on my own’ in what seemed like ages. When the sat nav emitted a perfunctory “lost satellite reception” report, I knew I was embarked upon the sort of adventure I’d been longing for.

Obviously, I made it back home safely. And in all honesty I was as impressed by the well kept condition of these remote roads as I was by the stunning Alpine scenery. Still, the dilemma of whether to keep both eyes peeled to the road or allow myself to be mesmerised by all the grand scale nature right outside my window proved a bit of a toughie for me.

Once arrived in lofty (and rather snowy) Sauris, I got down to the business that brought me there in the first place: trying the local ham and beer, both of which are a blend of unique Germanic heritage with the best of local ingredients and Italian gastronomic tradition.

Prosciuttificio Wolf

Sauris’ main employer and biggest claim to fame is Prosciuttificio Wolf which produces renowned prosciutto and birch-smoked speck. Prosciutto made in Sauris to a set of exacting standards using limited high quality ingredients is protected by the EU as a PDO product. PDO stands for “Protected Designation of Origin” – this essentially means that the way they produce prosciutto in Sauris is specific to the area and for a ham to be called a Sauris prosciutto is must be made nearby and according to traditional custom.

You can find Wolf hams outside of Italy, but they’re not all that common. If you ever get a chance to sample this small family producer’s range of cured pork, by all means do! I couldn’t get enough of their speck during my visit to the shop and factory.

For details go to wolfsauris.it.

Zahre Beer

It’s not just ham that’s smoked in Sauris. Local family run brewery Zahre produces a smoked beer that’s out of this world. By ‘family run’ I mean two married couples busting ass to create some of the best beer I personally have ever had. They sell a Pilsner, a sensational hemp beer,  and a red “Vienna” ale in addition to their smoky porter.

I don’t think it’s possible to get Zahre Beer outside of Italy (and hardly anywhere further south than Bologna), and I got the impression that the Zahre folks are pretty content keeping things as basic and small scale as possible. Chatting with Danila Peressotti – one fourth of the Zahre gang and the de facto contact for international dealings due to her excellent command of English – it was explained to me while scanning the range of snow capped mountains as far as I could see, “We already have everything we need here. Why would we want to change that?”

It is possible to purchase Zahre products online at zahrebeer.com.

Stay

I didn’t actually spend the night in Sauris but had a lovely lunch at the panoramically perched hotel Morgenleit. Folks here were super friendly and the views could not be beat. Food in Morgenleit’s restaurant provided a homey introduction to the hearty regional cuisine of Friuli, including the local favourite cheese and potato dish, frico.

See the hotel’s website at morgenleit.com.

For more about Sauris and other Friuli Venezia Giulia destinations go to turismofvg.it.

I would like to thank the fine folks at boutique digital agency, The 7th Chamber, for helping sponsor this trip.