Figatellu

Overview

Figatellu is Corsica's liver sausage, traditionally made from pork liver and other pork tissues and strongly associated with winter pig slaughter. The plural figatelli is often used outside Corsican.

The cut

Identity and terminology

The Corsican word derives from fegatu, liver. The Curesmith title Figatelli Fresh Sausage should be normalised to Figatellu for the product article, while retaining the source wording as an alias. It is not the Spanish figatell.

Composition and characteristics

Pork liver gives the sausage its dark colour and mineral bitterness, balanced by fatty pork, garlic, pepper and often local wine. Some traditional branches include blood. The filling is coarse and enclosed in a natural casing.

Production and process

Figatellu may be lightly smoked and is commonly cooked over embers, fried or incorporated into dishes. Historical raw-eating customs cannot be adopted as a modern safety instruction, particularly because liver sausages have been associated with hepatitis E risk.

History and regional forms

The sausage belongs to Corsican household pig slaughter and the island's chestnut-and-pork economy. Families and villages maintain different ratios of liver, meat and fat, and smoke practice varies.

Use, storage and related products

It is grilled and eaten with bread, polenta or brocciu-related dishes, or used to flavour lentils. It differs from figatell, the Valencian caul-wrapped patty, and from smooth cooked liverwurst.