Skip to content
ENITSign in

Finocchiona

Finocchiona IGP is a Tuscan pork salume whose fennel seeds or flowers give its soft slices their distinctive aroma.

Meat
Pork
Aroma
Fennel seeds or flowers
Production area
Mainland Tuscany, excluding the islands
Protection
IGP

Tuscany’s unmistakable fennel aroma

Fennel seeds or flowers scent a slice whose soft texture can crumble at the edges.

The fennel is mixed into the pork itself, giving Finocchiona its pronounced aroma alongside a lighter note of garlic. Lean and fat meet in a medium-coarse grain, with softened boundaries between them. The slice can be supple enough to crumble as it is cut.

The specification connects this combination with Tuscan salumi skills and the local presence of wild fennel. It also describes Finocchiona among the region’s mixed cold cuts, the affettati toscani. That is a useful way to discover it: a small selection lets its fennel aroma have a clear place on the plate.

Fennel is part of the recipe

Fennel seeds or flowers, garlic, salt and pepper are required by the specification; wine is optional. The meat is ground through a 4.5–8 mm plate before mixing and stuffing. Drying and curing together have minimum durations of 15, 21 or 45 days, depending on the weight at stuffing. There is no single curing time for every size.

A mainland Tuscan specialty

The Finocchiona IGP production area covers mainland Tuscany, excluding the islands. Trimming, grinding, mixing, filling, drying and maturation take place within that area. The specification also requires local slicing and packing when the product is sold in packs of slices.

Tuscany

Questions worth asking

Does Finocchiona use fennel seeds or flowers?

Both are permitted. The fennel may be added as seeds, flowers or a combination of the two.

Why does the slice sometimes crumble?

A soft slice that can crumble is part of Finocchiona’s specified character. Fat particles surround the lean meat and help preserve that softness.

Is every Finocchiona made from Cinta Senese pork?

No. The specification permits several approved pig types. A Cinta Senese reference on the label is allowed only when all the meat comes from qualifying pigs of that breed.

Worth knowing next

  1. Lucanica di PicernoCompare the texture and production of Lucanica di Picerno.
  2. CiauscoloCompare the texture and production of Ciauscolo.
  3. Salame PiemonteCompare the texture and production of Salame Piemonte.
TuscanyAll foods
Sources and citations (4)
  1. European Commission, Official Journal of the European UnionStandard amendment to the product specification of ‘Finocchiona’ PGISingle document, name and EU numberRead source
  2. Ministero dell'agricoltura, della sovranità alimentare e delle foresteFinocchiona IGP product specification publicationOfficial specification, raw material sectionRead source
  3. Consorzio di tutela della Finocchiona IGPIngredientsIngredients and specification explanationRead source
  4. Consorzio di tutela della Finocchiona IGPLa FinocchionaProduct designation and pack-labelling guidanceRead source

A letter from Italy, once a month.

The places, tables and makers we found worth your time. One email, no noise.

One letter a month. Unsubscribe at any time. We never share your address.

Help us get it right

What is it about?