The turnip in the sausage: a rare Italian recipe

Pork, pepper and sweet yellow turnip, with restaurant and butcher addresses in Vicenza, northern Italy.

Cooked yellow turnip accounts for 25 to 30 per cent of this fresh pork sausage, giving the filling a gentle sweetness. In the countryside west of Vicenza, in northern Italy, the recipe belongs to the autumn tradition of household butchery. The addresses below include restaurants to contact about the dish and family butchers selling the local preparation, traditionally cooked over embers and served with polenta.

Chiampo

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THE STORY↓
WHERE TO EAT & BUY ↓

THE AUTUMN KITCHEN In the farming households of the Chiampo Valley, west of Vicenza, the turnip harvest coincided with the season for preparing pork. Cooked roots were chopped into the sausage mixture, adding volume to a valuable supply of meat. The local name describes the recipe: cincionela means sausage, while co la rava means “with turnip”. The vegetable eventually earned its place for reasons beyond economy. Reporting on the recipe’s municipal recognition in 2010, Il Giornale di Vicenza described a preference for the delicate flavour of the turnip version, even after households could afford sausages made entirely from pork. The same report recorded a revealing observation from the municipality: the speciality was scarcely known even in neighbouring towns.

A QUARTER OF THE RECIPE The published De.Co. description specifies cooked local yellow turnip at 25 to 30 per cent of the mixture. It is minced with pork, seasoned and packed by hand into natural casings. The finished sausage should be soft but cohesive, with the vegetable thoroughly incorporated into the meat. This is a fresh sausage intended for cooking. Grilling over embers is the documented traditional preparation, often accompanied by polenta, maize flour cooked until thick, and cabbage. The turnip contributes a mild sweetness to the pork and pepper.

THE BUTCHERS OF CHIAMPO In 2010, four Chiampo butcher businesses were admitted to the municipal register for the preparation. The De.Co., a local food heritage designation, records its connection with the town and its production requirements. Two of those names belong to family businesses subsequently recognised among Veneto’s historic shops: Macelleria Raniero Angelo e Paolo and Macelleria Rosticceria Raniero.

WHERE TO BUY AND EAT CINCIONELA CO LA RAVA

The De.Co. register names four authorised butchers in Chiampo. Because Cincionela is a fresh sausage intended for quick consumption, these are more useful than pretending it is permanently available on every restaurant menu.

These are the Chiampo butchers registered as producers of Cincionela co la rava.

FOR A MORE POLISHED DINNER

Ristorante Al Torcio

Via Giacomo Leopardi 5, Chiampo, Vicenza
Phone / WhatsApp +39 339 7533896

Family run since 1997, with seasonal Vicenza cooking and a more refined restaurant setting. Local De.Co. documentation records Cincionela co la rava served here grilled with polenta. Call ahead for current availability.

FOR TRADITIONAL CHIAMPO COOKING

Ristorante Bar Al Pellegrino

Via Pieve 135, Chiampo, Vicenza
Phone +39 0444 623542

Four generations of the same family have worked at this restaurant, whose history dates to 1960. It lists cincionela co la rava among its local specialities, alongside trout from the upper valley and cheeses from Monte Faldo. Ask about the pork and turnip sausage when reserving.

FOR AN OLD SCHOOL FAMILY RESTAURANT

Ristorante Dal Francese

Via Monte Montello 29, Chiampo, Vicenza
Phone +39 0444 623394

Open since 1957, with traditional cooking and a covered terrace. The restaurant has taken part in Chiampo menus dedicated to Cincionela co la rava. Call ahead to check whether it is currently being served.

FOR SOMETHING INFORMAL

Trattoria Pizzeria Al Ponte

Via Bruno Dal Maso 76, Chiampo, Vicenza
Phone +39 0444 623067

A casual trattoria and pizzeria that has participated in local Cincionela menus. Best treated as a call ahead option outside the November season.

FOR A BUTCHER AND PREPARED FOOD SHOP

Macelleria Rosticceria Raniero
Via Don Paolo Mistrorigo 31, 36072 Chiampo, Vicenza
Phone +39 0444 624874
Mobile +39 347 5111530
Email macelleriaranierogiovanni@gmail.com

Giovanni and Bertilla opened the original shop in 1961. Their descendants expanded it with a prepared food counter in 2019. The producer register records the business under Giovanni Raniero’s name; contact the shop for current cincionela production and collection arrangements.

GOOD TO KNOW

FOR THE NOVEMBER FOOD FESTIVAL

Festa della Cincionela co’ la Rava
Chiampo, Vicenza
Traditionally held in November
2026 dates and venue: confirm with the organisers

Pro Loco di Chiampo APS
Visitor and organiser contact: Piazza G. Zanella 26, 36072 Chiampo, Vicenza
Phone +39 0444 624729
Email info@prolocochiampo.it