After hiking and photographing the search is on for a local restaurant. As you may well know Italian cuisine and wine is just fabulous. I can recommend a simple and yet very tasty local flavour, “Speck” 

The term “speck” first appears in Tyrol’s history in documents dated back to the 18th century. However, the word was first used under different names and definitions in the trade registers and butchers’ ordinance as far back as the year 1200. The term has its roots in the Middle High German word “spec” and the Ancient High German word “spek” and actually translates into “something thick, fat.”

South Tyrol’s history documents that South Tyrolean farmers originally cured speck to preserve the meat. The ham was intended for home consumption. Traditionally, pigs were slaughtered during the Christmas Season. The production of speck ensured that farmer’s had a supply of preserved meat for the entire year. The ham recipe was carefully guarded and handed down from generation to generation. The ancestral seasoning secrets from more than 100 years ago still give the speck its typical taste today