Maremmana Cattle

The females of this native breed have large lyre shaped horns, and the males have crescent shaped horns. Their coat of fur has grey streaks, and their frame is extraordinarily robust. This variety underwent its greatest development phase in the time between the two World Wars: even on Mount Amiata the quarrymen used the Maremma cattle to transport marble. When Italy underwent rapid land development (le bonifiche) and agriculture became more mechanised, the breed went into crisis, and even bordered on extinction.

The Maremma is very frugal, survives in difficult environments and is only raised in the wild: this explains the survival of the job of the “buttero”, the herdsman on horseback who follows and guides the cows throughout the year.

From October to March the animals live in the bush in large plots. After winter, they are transferred to a rotation of pastures, to take advantage of the available spring meadows. At the end of May, the “merca” is carried out, this is when the one-year-old calves are branded, this is necessary as they are reared in the wild. During this period, the adult cows and the heifers are “imbrancate” (herded in groups of 25-30, with up to 50 cows per bull) for mating. At the beginning of autumn, the bulls can be removed from the herd and the herds are then return to life in the scrub.

There is no doubt that the wild breeding of these animals contributes to their welfare and to the flavour and healthiness of the meat. There is a traditional recipe that is known as the best way to appreciate the Maremma meat, the “peposo” dish, is a stew made using the most muscular pieces and an “asciutta” (dry) ageing. It takes a very long time to prepare it, but the result is exceptional.

Season

Available year-round