The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Pig Farm, Prosciutto and Bacon

As snow began to fall, winter brought with it an even harsher season for slaughtering livestock.

In a world where free-range was the norm, it was common practice to fatten pigs on the forest’s bounty throughout autumn, then slaughter them as the snow began to fall for winter provisions.

Although in the Enkar region, where Melfina had banned free-range, pigs no longer roamed the streets, the desire to slaughter pigs in winter remained strong. Daily, pigs were led out from the pens by their owners.

Pigs are generally prolific, often birthing ten or more at a time. Due to agreements where owners relinquish rights to more than two pigs to cover boarding costs at the pens, surplus piglets naturally accumulate.

Female pigs are purchased by Melfina, while males are retained for breeding, and surplus piglets are disposed of.

Around early summer, Melfina had constructed pens and started a pig farm, now approaching its six-month mark. Most of the older pigs had been replaced by a new generation, with the piglets born around that time now reaching slaughter size.

“We plan to primarily make prosciutto from the pig thighs. I’ll teach you the process soon, so please instruct the workers during the actual production.”

The staff at the pig farming facility consisted of six men and three women directly employed by Melfina. They handled various tasks related to pig farming, including cleaning the pens, feeding the pigs, patrolling to prevent trouble, and caring for the guard dogs kept in the pens.

Melfina owned slightly over 250 pigs, roughly equivalent to those privately owned in the Enkar region.

Aside from village leftovers, the pigs were fed roughly crushed corn leaves used as coarse feed, turnips grown for fodder, beet pulp, discarded vegetables from squeezing, and leftovers from slaughtered livestock.

…Originally intended for composting manure, livestock farming necessitated maintaining numbers, but we’re reaching a plateau around here.

While agriculture using compost requires a certain number of livestock, feed costs are not trivial, and having more pigs than one can consume is unavoidable.

Moving forward, the plan is to process on a relatively large scale every six months, maintaining rather than increasing or decreasing numbers.

Once the pigs are butchered, we must process the meat while it’s still fresh. Today, I’ll teach a small group how it’s done, and they will later instruct the day laborers.

“First, hang the pig thighs and peel off the lower skin below the knee, trimming away excess fat. Once sufficiently trimmed, knead the meat to squeeze out any remaining blood inside. This step is crucial; inadequate processing can cloud the flavor or lead to spoilage, so please handle it with care.”

With their hair tied back and wearing head coverings and cloth over their mouths as Melfina instructed, the workers proceed meticulously.

The hanging cuts of meat were just butchered this morning, their colors vibrant and fresh.

“After this, generously rub salt all over. Then, let it rest indoors for about ten days.”

They decided to use a corn drying shed that’s empty during winter for the drying process. They plan to move it to another storage area after the rainy season ends and summer arrives next year.

“After ten days, rinse off the salt with water. Then hang it again to drain, and let it dry until summer.”

“Lady Melfina, does this mean we can eat this pork next summer?”

Asked by one of the staff, she shakes her head.

“No, there will be further treatments after this, so it will be ready earliest by the start of next year.”

“Even if it’s salted, can the meat last that long?”

“With this method, it should last for two to several years without issue. I will inspect it regularly to ensure it doesn’t spoil, so please don’t worry too much.”

The workers nod and begin treating the thigh meat as instructed.

“Now, let’s prepare for bacon. It’s just spreading salt and wrapping it with rabbit leaf.”

Today, in addition to Marie and Cedric, Ed has also joined. Ed has shown exceptional progress in cooking, and he’s expected to be a significant asset.

“Belly meat is best for bacon. After washing the meat, pat it dry thoroughly, pierce it evenly with a fork, and rub in the salt.”

This work was carried out by Marie, Ed, and Melfina together. They kept the windows wide open to maintain the freshness of the meat, making it quite chilly inside.

“After wrapping with rabbit leaf, we’ll let it sit in a place with the same outdoor temperature for about a week. You can take it to the lord’s mansion and store it in any spare room.”

“So, this process is similar to making dried ham?”

“I’ve never eaten dried ham myself, but it seems so.”

Processed meats using rabbit leaves, called dried ham in this world, are highly common among the common folk. It’s said to have a strong salty flavor and a chewy texture, often sliced as a snack with sake or used in soups.

Not only belly meat but also outer thighs, loins, shoulder cuts, and other leftover parts of pork are preserved and dried this way. Lutz mentioned that in this world, there are more opportunities to eat dried ham than to cook fresh meat.

Rabbit leaves not only impart a peppery aroma but also have strong dehydrating properties. On the first day travelers arrived in Enkar Village, there’s a tale of meat being wrapped in rabbit leaves and turned into dried meat during their journey. Mixing salt into rabbit leaves and drying meat became a natural process in creating preserved foods.

“Surely, the reason this world lacks sausages and bacon is because this method is so simple and versatile.”

Especially in the north, where some territories face the sea and have access to rock salt, obtaining salt relatively inexpensively is possible.

Moreover, rabbit leaves are so abundant in the forest that they’re said to be found everywhere. In a world where even common folk own a pig per household, it’s natural that making preserved food easily became the norm.

It wasn’t difficult to imagine that military rations and provisions were largely supplemented by this preserved method known as dried ham.

Although Melfina had never tasted dried ham, it would likely resemble unsmoked raw bacon, known in her past life as pancetta.

She thought about wanting to try it if the opportunity arose, but once she said it aloud, she knew it would be delivered every few days like fish, so she couldn’t bring herself to mention it again.

“Ed, have you ever made dried ham before?”

“No, I hardly ever cooked before coming to the lord’s mansion. I’ve only bought and eaten it a few times when I was in the capital. Anna probably knows more about it.”

“Then let’s have Anna teach us next time and try making it. I think dried ham would go well in sandwiches.”

While pancetta would typically pair best with pasta, pasta noodles are made from durum wheat, a chewy type of wheat imported from the Romana Republic in this world. It’s rare to find Romana goods in the north due to the high transport costs, especially now during the famine. It seemed unlikely that staple foods were being exported.

“Even if it is out of reach, I still want to try pasta someday.”

With the available ingredients, dishes like peperoncino and carbonara could be made without issue. Cream pasta with salmon or Neapolitan with frankfurters and ketchup could also be recreated.

While most industrial products were out of reach, there were still possibilities with careful planning.

“Lady Melfina, you have a look of someone thinking about something delicious.”

“Oh, really? Hehe.”

She laughed it off, and Marie smiled in response.

By the time they finished processing the bacon and applying salt to the thigh meat for prosciutto, they entrusted the drying process to the staff. Next was the preparation for making frankfurters.

Unlike bacon and prosciutto, frankfurters didn’t have as long a shelf life, but they were versatile, suitable for dishes like hot dogs and pot-au-feu, and would last a few days during the northern winter.

They washed the pig intestines thoroughly and drained them. After pounding the meat with a heavy meat mallet until it lost its shape and then roughly chopping it with a knife, they added salt, herbs, and ice shaved with a knife, about twenty percent of the meat’s weight, and kneaded it with a wooden spatula. Since this process required strength, they asked Cedric to handle it.

“The key to delicious frankfurters is not to raise the meat’s temperature too much. So, use the spatula to mix it gently, so the moisture and meat blend together without over-kneading.”

“It’s quite tricky to get the right balance.”

Cedric said, although naturally dexterous, he skillfully mixed the meat without any issues. By the time the ice had completely melted and the meat mixture had turned milky white, the meat filling was complete.

They tied the middle section of the intestine, cut to about three meters, and filled the meat mixture into the injector made by Roy and Carl. It resembled a slightly oversized syringe, designed for the meat mixture to come out smoothly from the injection port.

“Air bubbles inside can cause the sausage to burst when heated, so remember to remove air each time you fill the meat mixture. After filling the meat, twist it into a circle about 10 centimeters wide, and once the left and right sides are of equal length, twist them together, passing the filling through each previous loop.”

Repeating this process formed a chain of sausages. The memories of the redness of pork meat mixed with fat stuffed into the semi-transparent intestine shaped into a nostalgic and enjoyable feeling of making frankfurters.

They carefully boiled the chain in gently boiling water for about twenty minutes. Once cooked, they cut the chain with a knife into separate sausages.

As Melfina tasted the finished frankfurter, its chewy texture followed by the savory flavor of salt spread throughout her mouth.

“Hot!”

“Lady Melfina!?”

“It’s okay, hehe, it turned out really delicious. Everyone, try it. It’s very hot, so be careful.”

Perhaps because there was no binder added, it felt quite substantial compared to her memories of eating it in her past life, but it had a genuine frankfurter-like finish.

“Oh, this is really delicious!”

“I could go for a beer with this.”

“It would be amazing in soup or just as a sandwich filling.”

Ed and Marie exchanged slightly animated comments, while Cedric savored the flavor with deep satisfaction.

It seemed like everyone was pleased with it.

“…This would go really well with cheese fondue.”

A gulp sounded from someone’s throat, causing Melfina to shake her shoulders with laughter, and everyone else followed suit.

“Let’s boil the rest and give it as a souvenir to the lord’s mansion.”

“I’m looking forward to the bacon being done too.”

“It’ll be over a year before we can eat the prosciutto. But letting it age like that will surely bring out an amazing flavor.”

Marie’s words, filled with admiration, were met with nods from the others.

“It’s delicious, and it goes well with ale or wine. It pairs perfectly with cheese. It can be used in various appetizers, salads, sandwiches; there are so many ways to enjoy it.”

“I’m looking forward to next winter.”

“Yes, let’s all have another tasting together.”

Looking forward to future joyous promises brought a sense of happiness, yet at the same time, once next winter ended and spring passed, Maria would descend upon this world.

They still didn’t understand what kind of being she was, which left them feeling uneasy.

That’s why they needed to establish a solid foundation before then.

Thinking about it, beneath the happiness filling her body, Melfina was aware of a cold, heavy stone buried deep within her.

Anxiety, mistrust, fear, frustration… Various negative emotions threatened the always optimistic Melfina.

She took a slow breath, exhaling, trying to forget about those feelings for now.

Marie and Cedric always watched Melfina attentively. She didn’t want anyone to know about her hidden feelings of unease.

“…Here, next year and beyond, let’s continue to smile.”

Preparations for that were steadily progressing.

Surely, it will all work out.

“For tonight’s dinner, let’s make a pot-au-feu using the frankfurters. It’s incredibly delicious.”

For that reason, let’s spend today smiling.

Cherishing each day’s happiness without letting it slip away, loving it as if it were precious.