The hardy Podolica cattle breed has ancient origins and is farmed in the southern Apennines, from Campania to Puglia to the hills of Calabria. It has a coat that ranges from gray to dark gray in color, though it’s generally lighter in color for the female. The horns, thin and light, are in a half-moon shape in the males and a lyre shape in the females. There are only 25,000 registered in the breed registry.
It’s a hardy breed, easily adapting to steep terrain, it manages to graze where other breeds find it difficult, eating Mediterranean scrub, bushes, stubble, and undergrowth foliage. In the past it was primarily used as a work animal and only secondarily for its meat and milk. It produces small amounts of high-quality milk (around 1500 litres a year), which makes an excellent Caciocavallo cheese. Thanks to the open grazing the Podolica cattle can graze all year round; it doesn’t cope well with being restricted indoors. Its meat is flavorful and rich in vitamins and minerals. A high carotene content gives the fat a yellowish tinge, and because of this, and the slightly tougher texture compared to grain-feed beef, the meat does not get as much appreciation as it deserves.
The growth of Podolica cattle is also slower than other intensively-raised breeds. The calves grow less than 900 grams a day, or half as much as intensively-raised cows. This means that the costs for the producers are not reflected in the market price. The high quality of the meat is the result of a combination of factors: the genetic properties of the breed, its diet, how and where it is raised (on pastures free of pesticides or other chemical treatmeants) and proper handling of the the slaughter. The meat is lean, low in cholesterol, rich in essential fatty acids (like omega 3 and omega 6). The Podolica Cattle, if raised properly, may represent an important heritage for Southern Italian animal husbandry, in terms of recovery of marginal areas, difficult pastures that would otherwise go unused, and for the production of high-quality meat.
Season
Podolica beef is available year-round.
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Sila plateau, Cosenza, Catanzaro and Crotone Provinces
Presidium supported by
Cosenza Provincial Authority, A.Pro.Zoo, Sila National Park
Scala Coeli (Cs)
contrada Frassinetti
tel. +39 348 5437207
forcat69@hotmail.it
Carmine Francesco Cozza
Umbriatico(Kr)
Contrada Serra Olivella - frazione Perticaro
tel. 338 8411773
Adriano Cozzetto
Camapana(Cs)
Contrada Santa Marina
tel.338 1832532
Leonardo Fortino
Cariati (Cs)
contrada Sterasso
tel 334 7400711
Biagio Francesco Gallicchio
Saracena (Cs)
Contrada Cocozzello
tel. 339 4855353
Luigi Fortino
Cariati (Cs)
contrada Sterasso
tel. +39 0983 968191
antonio881402@hotmail.it
Guerci
Taverna (Cz)
Contrada Guerci
tel. 360 757991
Carmine Ionà
Soveria Simeri (Cz)
Contrada Calamia
tel. 334 3361483
Leonardo Iuzzolini
Crucoli (Kr)
contrada Elo
tel. +39 338 4017419
pasqualeiuzzolini@libero.it
Antonio Mancuso
Marcedusa (Cz)
Contrada Canavarrea
tel.329 2759798
Salvatore Mancuso
Marcedusa (Cz)
Contrada Canavarrea
tel.368 7862588
Pasquale Manfredi
Campana (CS)
Contrada Santa Marina -
tel..338/1832532
Pasquale Manfredi
Campana (CS)
Contrada Santa Marina -
tel..338/1832532
Concetta Marescalco
Caccuri (Kr)
Contrada Santo Iannello
tel 338 4062000
Carmine Mosca
Melissa (Kr)
Contrada Iderà
tel.331 8528184
Giovanni Pisano
Scala Coeli (Cs)
contrada Patia
tel. +39338 2061901
mariasandra_2@libero.it
Eredi Francesco Caputi
Rocca di Neto (KR)
Contrada Palmento Murato
Tel. +39 335 5253905
Angelo Ritacco
Scala Coeli (Cs)
Contrada San Biagio
tel. 334 2906688
Susanna Srl
Cirò (Kr)
Contrada Corfo
tel 388 6205904
Antonio Sommario
Paludi (Cs)
Contrada Migliuzzi
tel 327 4506465
Az. Agr. “Taverna”
Montalto Uffugo (CS)
Via Verdi
Tel. 339/2981475
Riccardo Tristaino
Verzino (Kr)
Contrada Serra Acerello
tel 327 6220485
Michele Costabile
Montalto Uffugo (CS)
Via Siracusa
Tel. 340/4048855
Valentino Cozza
Umbriatico (KR)
C.da Serra Olivella
Tel. 333/9791596
Ferdinando Fabiano
Verzino (KR)
C.da Metropoli
Tel. 347/6332276
Francesco Pignataro
Terravecchia (CS)
C.da Prato
Tel. 339/2246223
Giuseppe Tallarico
Verzino (KR)
C.da Gonia
Tel. 347/8915594
Matteo e Giuseppe Tallarico
Verzino (KR)
C.da Gonia
Tel. 349/3239245
Gennaro Turano
San Marco Argentano (CS)
C.da Spinetto
Tel. 368/7098460
Mario Favaro
Verzino (KR)
C.da Fellìa
Tel. 347/8599344
Domenico Chiarello
Verzino (KR)
C.da Frea
Tel. 328/7567879
Le carni possono essere acquistate presso i rivenditori affiliati:
Macelleria Camposano 2000
Crotone
piazza Mercato, 38
tel. +39 0962 21467
alfonso.camposano69@libero.it
Enogastronomia Malara
Vibo Marina (Vv)
via Senatore Parodi
tel. +39 0963 577884
iminvest.sup@virgilio.it
SB Srl
Polistena (Rc)
contrada Primogenito
tel. 09661958002
SORINAT srl
Lamezia Terme
Via del Progresso, 374
Tel. 0968/453943
TRADE ERREGI srl
Rende (CS)
Via Verdi, 40
Tel. 0984/846280
VENA E TOP srl
Cosenza
Viale Mancini
Tel. 0984/393792
ERREGICI srl
Acri (CS)
Via S. Scervini
Tel. 0984/954140
EUROCRAI sas
Amantea (CS)
Viale Europa, 113
Tel. 0984/48072
GVS SUPERMERCATI srl
Paola (CS)
C.da Gaudimare
Tel. 0984/613571
Rosario Scigliano
Tel. +39 333 6482301
rosarioscigliano@montagnaspa.it
Slow Food Presidium Coordinator
Alberto Carpino
tel. +39 328 7023674
albertocarpino@gmail.com
