Ventricina is a type of mildly spicy sausage made in the Abruzzo Region of Italy. Ground pork is mixed with prosciutto crudo and other spices which typically include salt and pepper, peperoncini (dried hot peppers), garlic and rosemary. Fennel seeds and orange rind are sometimes added to this mixture which is then encased in the pig’s intestines or stomach.

Not far from Valle San Giovanni in the Teramo Provinco of Abruzzo is the village of Crognaleto, known as the ventricina capital of the world. The Crognaleto ventricina is salted, lightly smoked, seasoned for several months or more and served in a raw paste on top of a slice of bread. Sometimes the bread and ventricina are place over the coals of a fire for a short time before serving.

Visitors to Casale have been known to make the 1/2 hour journey from Valle San Giovanni to Crognaleto to sample this Abruzzo delicacy.

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