Mazzafegato

Mazzafegato, also called salsiccia matta, meaning mad sausage, is a poor man’s variety of a cured pork sausage produced in the region of Marche. The inferior parts of pork such as liver, tongue, tail, heart, spleen, lungs, and different leftover scraps of meat are coarsely ground and flavored with salt, pepper, pepperoncino, garlic, fennel flowers, lemon, and orange zest. A sweet variety also exists, and it is additionally enriched with raisins, pine nuts, cinnamon, sugar, and red wine. Mazzafegato is usually served as secondo piatto, grilled or baked in the oven with aromatic herbs. It has a strong, decisive flavor that pairs nicely with hearty bread and robust red wines.