Quarume

Only for the brave

Legend has it that using quarume (or quarumi, quaruma but also caldume) mothers used to wean their babies in Palermo. As the deep and nutritious entrails of the calf were already well known since ancient times. Today, in the kiosks of the poorer parts of the city, you can still find the quarumaru, boiling the small intestine for up to three hours (“ziniero”) and the maws (“quagghiaru”, “centopelle” and “trippa”) of the calf with potatoes, carrots, celery and tomatoes in a big pot (the “quarara”).

 

The final result is a very tasty meat and vegetables broth, siding with the different pieces of entrails. Quarume is mostly a winter dish, being boiled meat with broth and naturally it should be eaten warm. Apart from the historical markets of the city, quarume is traditionally consumed at home, usually in families that wish to protect the oldest culinary traditions.

(Foto ©Vincenzo Puglisi per Crocche.it)