meat

Pork loin

Generality

Arista is the dialectal term, which has become an official noun, referring to the main ingredient of a category of recipes typical of the Tuscan region.

It is a part of the pig's back (trinomial nomenclature: Sus scrofa domesticus ) to be cooked whole, as a roasted dish in the oven or on a spit, or overcooked casserole; it is flavored with herbs and spices or accompanied with sauces and side dishes, depending on the specific recipe. Among the baked dishes, the most scenic ones are in salt crust and bread crust; among the side dishes, the accompanying sauces and the most common condiments can be recognized: mixed herbs, colonnata lard, new potatoes, spring onions, prunes and annurca apples.

What is the cut?

The dorsal part of the pig from which it is possible to obtain the arista is quite extensive; starts from the end of the capocollo (trapezius muscle) up to the hips (end of the lumbar segment, rump excluded).

In order of importance, the cuts that can be included in the arista are: loin, sirloin, tenderloin and a small part of the trapezoid. With the same criterion, the bones that can be included in the arista are: ribs and vertebrae (both in reduced portion).

To make an artist in a workmanlike manner, it would be advisable to use the so-called "pork loin", that is the portion of the "saddle" that affects the muscles and vertebrae to which the ribs are joined; however, it should be taken care of by the butcher, the housewife or the cook, carefully separating the meat from the bone and reassembling everything (peeling, trimming and degreasing) before cooking.

We reiterate that the most important muscle that constitutes the cut of the worker is the loin which, beyond the carrè and up to the end of the back, takes the name of " loin ". Sometimes the names of "arista" and "lonza" are misused as synonyms. Sometimes, the lumbar muscles are accompanied by small portions of capocollo, recognizable by a typically darker color but placed in the same area with respect to the bone; on the contrary, the fillet is on the other side of the "T".

The artist features a series of extremely customizable recipes. This is because, in addition to the variables related to the animal and to the cooking or seasoning methods, it is possible to carefully choose which part of the pig's back to prefer. Moreover, it is up to the chef's discretion to choose whether to use only the loin and separate the possible fillet or not. Furthermore, the cleaning, trimming and degreasing procedures have an equally decisive influence on the result of the recipe.

Nutritional Features

As mentioned at the end of the previous paragraph, the pork loin is a dish with extremely variable nutritional characteristics. On the other hand, since the loin is the largest edible portion, it is logical to think that the nutritional translation should mainly involve this muscle. Speaking of edible portion, let us remember that the arista contains a part of bone and that, therefore, the edible portion is around 60% (extremely variable percentage).

Assuming the use of light pork meat with a medium lipid concentration, the relative nutritional characteristics are summarized below.

Nutritional Values ​​Arista di Maiale

Chemical compositionValue for 100g
Edible part-%
water70, 3g
Protein20.5g
Total lipids7, 7g
Saturated fatty acids2, 98g
Monounsaturated fatty acids3, 58g
Polyunsaturated fatty acids1, 15g
Cholesterol70.0mg
Carbohydrates available0.0g
Starch0.0g
Soluble sugars0.0g
Total fiber0.0g
Soluble fiber0.0g
Insoluble fiber0.0g
Alcohol0.0g
Power151, 4kcal
Sodium57.0mg
Potassium336.0mg
Iron0, 8mg
Football14.0mg
Phosphorus209.0mg
Magnesium- mg
Zinc2, 0mg
Copper- mg
Selenium- µg
Thiamine0.49mg
Riboflavin0, 28mg
Niacin6, 09mg
Vitamin A retinol equivalent2.0μg
C vitamin0.0mg
Vitamin E0.22mg

The pork loaf uses a fairly lean cut of meat, although this parameter depends very much on the degree of degreasing carried out during trimming and trimming. It brings more fat than some white meats, such as chicken and turkey breast, or rabbit, and is more lipid than most fishery products, like all crustaceans, all molluscs, cod, plaice, trout, sea bream, sea bass, swordfish, tuna fillet, dogfish and emery, grouper, bream, snapper etc. However, the arista is certainly less caloric than: meatballs, hamburgers, sausages, coppone, ribs, bacon, rib eye steak, etc.

The protein intake of the meat used for the arista is remarkable and of high biological value (more or less in line with the average of lean and semi-lean meats) which is why, in the diet, this food has the function of complying with the request of essential amino acids.

Not containing carbohydrates, the pork's calories come only from peptides and fats, although the percentage of protein (55%) and lipid (45%) can vary significantly.

The aristide lipids are mainly composed of triglycerides, while the cholesterol fraction is relevant but not excessive; in fact, unlike egg yolk and certain milk derivatives, the meat of the artist can be contextualized in any diet. Moreover, thanks to the feeds currently used for light pig feeding, the fatty acids contained in it are mainly unsaturated, with a prevalence of monounsaturated compared to both polyunsaturated and saturated.

From the mineral point of view, the meat for the arista contains good amounts of potassium and phosphorus; iron should also be satisfactory but, for this cut, certain nutritional tables do not report particularly high values.

As far as vitamins are concerned, excellent amounts of water-soluble thiamine (vit. B1) and niacin (vit. PP) are observed; less relevant are the concentrations of fat-soluble vitamins. A and of vit. IS.

The arista is therefore a food that lends itself to most dietary regimes, but it is logically excluded from the vegan, raw food, vegetarian lacto-Muslim, Muslim and Jewish diet.

It is easily framed in the diet of overweight individuals, taking care to cook it and serve it well defatted and free of added fats.

The amount of cholesterol is moderate and, if framed in an appropriately balanced diet, it can be part of the nutritional therapy destined to subjects with pathologies of the metabolism (also hypercholesterolemia).

From a hygienic point of view, the pork loin must respect the preventive rules on the risks of raw meat, as it comes from an animal potentially subject to parasitosis; its cooking is always total, NOT like that of roast beef that plans to leave the heart of the pink food.

Etymology and Historical Outline

The etymology of the term is hypothetically linked to a legend dating back to the 15th century. It seems that at a Florentine banquet of the "ecumenical council" (ecclesiastical meeting), Brasilio Bressarione (Byzantine cardinal) commented on a loin-based recipe " Aristos! "Or" the best ". From the Greek to the Florentine, the noun became "arista".

On the other hand, it seems that a quotation of the same name was made in a document of the thirteenth century, that is much older.