October 09, 2018 A PUBLICATION OF Government Advertising Agency Telposta Towers, Kenyatta Ave/ Koinange Street P.O Box 30025-00100, Nairobi Kenya NAIROBI-KENYA I Issue No. 0089 Telephone: (+254) 4920000 / 1 E-Mail: info@information.go.ke Simple lessons in pork value addition from an Italian city Triza Ngugi first saw what looked like coconut fruits but quickly changed her view and thought they were sweet potatoes. She was wrong - what she was looking at was yet another type of preserved pork. Success stories like these are covered in an upcoming book on Agro-Innovation by the Kenya Yearbook Editorial Board. Agro-Innovation Transforming agriculture toward sustainable development BY KYEB O n entering the first exhibition stand at the Terra Madre, Salone Gusto (Mother Nature, Exhibition of Taste) show, in Turin, one is met by a whole, wellcooked pig thigh. This immediately whets your appetite for what would be a possible local cuisine, perhaps of roasted pork, ugali and kachumbari. However, it seems a mystery how a pork thigh is preserved and eaten after more than six months. We sought to borrow this technology, which may be customized to fit the Kenyan market as a way of value-addition that can boost earnings from this sector. This is especially because pork is highly perishable and most farmers are forced to ‘dispose’ it as fast as possible to avoid making losses. The process, as we learn is simple, but requires patience and caution, so that the pork is free from any bacteria and other microorganisms. Locally known as ‘prosciotto’, the delicacy’s process of production starts with pork breeding. “This particular ham is from a cross-breed of black and white breeds of pig,” explains Davide Oxalande, a marketing officer at Prosciutte del Casentino, one of the exhibiting Italian companies. However, it can be obtained from other pig breeds as well. The pigs are reared under the free range system for two years before they are ready for slaughter. After slaughtering a mature pig, he says, the meat is left to cool for 24 hours. The thighs are then trimmed and well rubbed with a mixture of salt, garlic and spices such as pepper, chilli pepper and nutmeg. After seven days, the residual salt is then eliminated, and the thighs are massaged for a second time, ushering in the second salting stage. The thigh is salted and massaged for two weeks before eliminating excess salt. After this stage, the thighs are kept to cure over a period of between 40-60 days after which they can be smoked under wood fire. The pork is then left to cure for no less than 18 months before it is ready for the market. Regulators, producers and breeders of this product are in the process of finalizing standards that will require longer curing time, thus optimizing the taste. When Triza Ngugi first saw what looked like coconut fruits, she was surprised to find ‘pumpkins’ in Italy. But again, she changed her view and thought they were sweet potatoes. Bus she was wrong; this was yet another preserved type of pork.If made locally, salame would qualify as mutura (traditional sausage) from pork, only that it lasts long and is seasoned using different spices. “Salame is prepared by mixing minced pork with olive oil, garlic and wine,” explained Guido Salini, a farm manager at Salini Fratelli. The mixture is then stuffed into pieces of the large intestines of a pig and tied with a sisal LAYOUT, DESIGN AND EDITING OF MYGOV WEEKLY BY THE KENYA YEARBOOK EDITORIAL BOARD www.kenyayearbook.co.ke 0202715390 / 0711944538 40 Days the thighs are kept to cure after which they can be smoked under wood fire string all round. It is then preserved under temperature of 25-30 degrees centigrade and humidity of 17 hygrometers. For six months, there is control of both temperature and humidity at different levels, after which the salame is ready for sale. Usually, Salini says, the salame can last for over one year, and refrigeration is only required after the consumer/ NHIF Building , 4th Floor @Kenyayearbook P.O. Box 34035-00100 Kenya Yearbook Editorial Board A Kenyan delegate tastes Italian pork dubbed prosciotto. seller slices it.Samson Kiiru, who lived in Italy for three years, wishes this technology was available in Kenya. According to him this creative technology would not only help in promoting the pork value chain, but also offer a delicacy for people like him, who have tasted and liked it. “I am still thinking of venturing into pig farming so that I can produce a combination of Kenya-Italian value addition technologies,” said Kiiru, as he tasted a piece of salame. These technologies were showcased during the 2018 edition of Terra Madre, Salone Gusto, an event that happens in Italy every two years. Kenya had a representation of close to 40 delegates who included various stakeholders along the agriculture and food value chain. The event is a brainchild of Slow Food International, an organization that promotes good, clean and fair food. info@kenyayearbook.go.ke
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