Description
The Lapin Poron Kuivaliha PDO is dried meat obtained from the fillet, thigh, shoulder, loin, scrag end and breast of adult or young reindeer fed in a natural way.
Production Area
The production area of Lapin Poron Kuivaliha PDO includes the majority of the Lapland district and a part of the Oulu district.
Production Method
The fat is removed from carcasses as well as the thick membranes of connective tissue, possible blood clots and brands and then they are separated, whilst the hardest parts are boned. The meat is cut in about 5 cm thick slices in different sizes. During processing, which has to take place as soon as possible, the temperature has to be lower than 7°C. Between February and April, after salting and seasoning - which last from 3 to 14 days - the meat is dried in the open air for 3 to 6 weeks. During this period of time, the meat acquires flavour, seasons and becomes tender. All processing phases, including packaging, have to take place in the geographic production area.
Appearance and Flavour
Lapin Poron Kuivaliha PDO - sliced or in slices of different shapes - has a thickness of 1-5 cm, a length between 10 and 20 cm and a weight of or over 100 gr. This meat, whose colour spans from dark red to brown, sometimes up to black, is delicate and non-stringy with a firm consistency on the surface and tender inside. Its aroma is typically from reindeer, which has not to be confused with game, and has a rather strong and lightly salted taste.
History
The experience of reindeer farmers - mostly represented by people from the European Sami population - has been passed on for centuries in the Lapp Finland region. Indeed, the ancient traditional techniques are still used to process and dry the meat. The first historic sources on the use of dry meat go back to the account books from the 16th century and to the book wrote by Olaus Magnus in the History of the Northern Peoples in 1555. The first information on the dried meat comes from the explorers of the 17th and 18th centuries who were the first in documenting its existence.
Gastronomy
Lapin Poron Kuivaliha PDO can be stored for a very long time. It can be consumed as a snack, but it is also very good accompanied with cheeses and a good red wine.
Marketing
The product is sold as Lapin Poron Kuivaliha PDO. It is sold in variable weight packages (at least 100 gr), equipped with a label specifying the adult or young animal's origin.
Distinctive Features
The Lapin Poron Kuivaliha PDO owes its peculiar features such as tenderness, natural aroma and unique flavour to the natural characteristics of the region, the northern climate with strong changes in temperature and the traditional methods of selection and preparation of the meat.
