Torino, Italia
Buongiornio, not a whole lot to report. Babysat this afternoon while they went and did their COVID shots. We did go out to dinner, just Mary and I. We went to Mama Mia. https://mammamiatorino.it/ . We had a nice bottle of Damilano Zero Sette Barbera D’Asti 2023. Mary got a pizza; prosciutto and cheese. I got a filet in green pepper corn sauce with roast potatoes. We had a traditional Piedmontese dessert, chocolate with cookies. All very good.
The beef is Fassona. The Piedmontese Fassona cattle serve a dual-purpose. The cattle are raised for their milk, which is used in the production of several traditional cheeses of the region, including Castelmagno, Bra, Raschera, and Toma Piemontese; and are also raised for meat, as the meat from Piedmontese cattle is seen as a premium product.
Piedmontese beef is meat from cattle having one or two copies of the inactive myostatin gene. This attribute provides a higher lean-to-fat ratio, as well as less marbling with less connective tissue than meat from cattle having the "active" version of the gene. The active-myostatin gene acts as a "governor" on muscle growth; myostatin is a protein that instructs muscles to stop growing. In effect, when inactive, as it is with Piedmontese cattle, it no longer prevents muscle development which is what allows for the hypertrophic condition sometimes referred to as "double muscling".
Animal breeds developed as homozygous for myostatin deficiency may have reproduction problems due to their unusually heavy and bulky offspring, and require a more expensive diet and special care, including veterinary supervision. These factors may make it uneconomic to raise them. Piedmontese beef has a place in the specialist market because of its unusual properties, but may be at a disadvantage in the bulk market.
Not that all that matters. What mattered was how it tasted. It was very good.
Buonanotte e Ciao, Enrico & Mary
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