Levoni Lingua Bovina Cotta (Cooked Beef Tongue)

This Cooked Beef Tongue from Levoni is a nice old rose in color. It has long and spaced protein fibers, forming a streaked pattern. This Lingua Bovina Cotta is slightly elastic, soft, and tender texture. It has a strong, persistent aroma, and a succulent, refined flavor.

You can heat your Levoni Lingua Bovina Cotta in its casing, in a bain-marie. You can slice it up and use for tacos, or serve it as is, with some potatoes, artichokes or spinach. Pair with a soft red wine, like a Refosco.

The Levoni story began with Ezechiello Levoni, a former butcher’s apprentice. He realized his lifelong dream of opening up his own curing plant in 1911, in the outskirts of Milan. He put in practice all that he had learned with the Milanese master butchers throughout the years. In 1913, he got his first major recognition. Proud of his new brand, he entered the “Modern Arts & Industry” International Exhibition in London, winning a gold medal for his Salame Ungherese. This win was particularly sweet as the competition famously declared a newcomer like him would only win “when pigs fly.”

Levoni moved the flagship production to a small province in Mantua called Castellucchio in 1923, and in the succeeding years, would also put up their own slaughterhouse and curing plant. In 2014, they opened their first subsidiary in the United States, opening up a whole new wave of opportunities for Ezechiello’s dream. The company is still a family business, now on its fourth generation, and still producing high quality meats.

Vacuum-sealed packs of hand-carved cured meats can last up to five months in the refrigerator (never the freezer). Once the pack is opened, they’re best enjoyed within the day.