Description
The Porc de Normandie PGI is pork coming from Bayeux pig breeds.
Production Area
The production area of Porc de Normandie PGI is located in the departments of Eure and Seine-Maritime in the Haute-Normandie; Calvados, Orne and Manche in the Basse-Normandie and covers also some neighbouring localities of these departments.
Production Method
The pigs are raised in open stalls or in fields in the open air where they can access to an outdoor path of about 50 sq. m. for every animal. Since their birth, they are nurtured with vegetables and minerals, vitamins and milk-dairy products, above all whey coming from the production cycles of dairies. After 3 weeks of life, the piglets are tattooed for the first time so to start the traceability path. After mother's milk, the pigs gradually start to eat a balanced fodder, appropriate for their growth. During the fatting period, the fodder must contain 74% of cereals and their by-products coming from the production area; the rest consists of vegetable proteins, minerals and vitamins. Slaughtering takes place when the animals have at least 26 weeks of age. Then the meats are selected by the butcher's operators depending on their quality.
Appearance and Flavour
Porc de Normandie PGI meat is pink to red colour and tender and tasteful. The fat is white and firm.
History
The farming of pigs in Normandy goes back to the Middle Ages, period when there were a lot of local breeds in the region. The appreciated quality of Porc de Normandie PGI is due to the development of the sector and to the exclusive selection of pigs from Normandy for some traditional, high-quality delicatessen. The local production of pigs enabled the development of a lot of specialities prepared by the local, pig butchers.
Gastronomy
The Porc de Normandie PGI is conserved in the refrigerator for a few days in its original package and stored in the coldest compartment. The pork can be cooked in various manners depending on the cut chosen, grilled, roasted in oven, or with a pressure cooker. Anyway, it must cook slowly so that the centre remains tender. The traditional grill on the barbecue is largely used and fits to different cuts of meat. The most precious and refined pork cut is, without doubt, the filet mignon, a tender and succulent muscle, which can be cooked poêlé (sauté), braised or also in cast iron pan.
Marketing
The product is sold as Porc de Normandie PGI. It is marketed fresh, whole without head, or in slices packed in trays with protected atmosphere which guarantees a longer conservation and keep unaltered its organoleptic features and its flavour.
Distinctive Features
The excellent flavour of Porc de Normandie PGI is due to the long tradition in raising and to a close collaboration of farmers, butchers and distributors.
