The Forest of Mesola

Bosco Mesola is a very renowned village thanks to its cuisine: the main culinary role is played by game, such as guinea fowl and duck and pork.

As for the pig, its origins are very ancient and already in prehistoric times its ancestors, wild boars, lived freely in the woods and marshes of these places. The pig has always represented a guarantee of survival and an expression of well-being and, even today, little or nothing of the slaughtered animal is discarded.

By choosing the best parts, including the bacon, the meat can be flavored with red wine and brandy and consumed two months later; when seasoned it will become firm and soft and, if well preserved, it can be cooked even after two or three years.

An equally important role is played by the guinea fowl, an animal of African origin that today has fully adapted to our environment, living in flocks and grazing in meadows and orchards in search of larvae, insects and seeds. Very rustic and simple to breed, the guinea fowls are well suited to the extensive breeding which, in the Delta, particularly caught on in the decade between 1924 and 1934. Its red meat, very tasty and not excessively fatty, recalls in particular the partridge and the pheasant, and it has now become one of the most used meats in traditional delta cuisine, also because the recipes concerning these birds are applicable to it.

Duck, both domestic and wild, is very important for delta cuisine.

Today, in the Delta, Muscovy duck is bred and its meat, which is fairly digestible but rather fatty, even if it does not appear often on the tables, is highly appreciated by gourmets for its particular flavor. There are also many festivals dedicated to this bird, and some festivals are marked by its use as a traditional dish. The modern local cuisine has greatly re-evaluated this animal, adding to the traditional roasted, stuffed or boiled preparations, new tasty proposals.