Cuz

Cuz is slow cooked meat dish from the valleys of Corteno Golgi and Camonica Valley in northern Italy, near the border with Switzerland. Cuz, more than just a dish based on sheep meat, is a method of conservation. A castrated sheep is cut into portions, put into a copper pot or cauldron (with a bit of butter if the meat is low in fat) with a splash of water so it does not stick to the pot. It is cooked slowly for 5 or 6 hours with a juniper stick placed at the center of the pot to help the fat rise to the surface. It is not salted. The meat is never stirred, but once in a while the pot is struck to change its position.   Some say that this dish was introduced to Corteno Golgi by Albanian or Hungarian emigrants, while others say it was from a friar passing through the town; but the most credible version is related to the transhumance tradition: when some animals were injured, they would have to be put down, and this meat was cooked simply and used by the shepherds, conserved for long periods in ule (terracotta pots). It is a centuries old dish that probably originated between 750 and 1000, during the occupation of the Alpine pass by Hungarian and Saracen people. However, it seems that it entered into common use only at the end of the 18th century. For the local population, it is still a dish served for special family occasions. It is also possible to taste this dish at restaurants in the production area