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In the final leg of my quest to explore the regional products that characterize Umbria, I made my way into the heart of their creation: Norcia. Norcia is a small agricultural town in the southeastern portion of the region. It is widely known for its meat and cheese products, so much so that a common name for cured meat retailers in Umbria and neighboring regions is Norcineria. While there, I observed the town and partook in a private tour of a local pig farm: Il Casale de li Tappi.
In addition to my journey to Norcia, I visited Caseificio Ferretti (Ferretti Cheese Factory). Caseificio Ferretti is a Perugian company that specializes in dairy products. They have three locations: Ponte San Giovanni, Perugia, and Foligno. The first being their production facility and storefront, while the other two serve as restaurants and retailers.
For this ethnography I conducted observations and informal interviews at Ferretti’s Ponte San Giovanni and Perugia locations, Norcinerias, as well as Casale in Norcia. These artisan producers are emblematic of the defining products of Umbrian regional food, namely artisanal cured meat and cheese that are based on traditional recipes. Thus, I was able to observe the performative elements involved in the reproduction of regional values, specifically in how they are entangled with messages of authenticity, healthfulness, and sociality.
Direct Sales
"A common narrative expressed by my interlocuters at each of these field sites was the direct-to-consumer model that they proudly utilized. I interpret this as an exchange of social trust that acts as a reassurance of quality as well as building relationships around the products consumed."
Production
"At Ferretti Ponte San Giovanni they have a glass window in between their sales room and their production facility...this inside view into the “back stage” can be seen as conveying transparency, and thereby trust in the production. This idea is reinforced by the emphasis placed on this function as demonstrated on their website: “always fresh, made every day by hand in front of customers."
Caseificio Ferretti, Ponte San Giovanni
"I gather from these observations that the actors involved in the artisanal salumi and formaggio business perform value through the construction of an amusement-park-like place meant to create a visual-experiential component that enacts the expectations of their product. It is here that one comes not just to consume the products for sale, but to immerse themselves in the histories of craft industry through its specific spatiality while experiencing its various sensory attributes."
F.lli Ansuini, Norcia
"In response to the standardization produced by the globalization of industrial production, these artisanal products (re)create versions of the past in elaborate performances to demonstrate their tangible and intangible values. Among these include specific historical flavor profiles, terroir, health benefits, social interaction, and transparency."
Caseificio Ferretti, Perugia
"The actors involved subvert pressures to adapt to standardization through performing the values they wish to maintain or create within the regulations and demands of the market economy."
"...authenticity plays a significant role in facilitating perceptions of the wellness of socio-cultural values and identities. Authenticity can only performed. It is a response to precarity produced by fear of loss. However, it also serves as a clever tactic that manufactures a boon for local economies. It appeals to those searching for the 'true nature' of a culture through food."
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