Definition: lammlidji

It is easy to recognise this butcher's shop, where cars from all over the region are parked, as its address is well known far and wide. The butcher, who is in his fifties, sports a silver beard and impeccable butcher's attire, with a neatly tied tie. He has continued the traditions inherited from his father, working according to his recipes, but adapting them. As the livestock is much less fatty, the proportions of the salt and spice mixture have had to be changed. Nevertheless, leg of lamb remains an uncommon speciality in Valais. Its taste is strong, which may not appeal to palates that prefer less powerful flavours.

Several centuries ago, farmers in the region did not keep pigs. Archives dating back to^{the 12th} century note that sheep were dried. As freezing did not exist, the only way to preserve meat was to dry it, adding pepper, salt and other spices.The recipe was then passed down from generation to generation. Industrialisation changed and created new lifestyles, so that in the second half of^{the 20th} century, there was no longer any question of drying meat yourself, let alone sheep.

Butcher René Meyer points out that to make good dried meat, you mustn't use too much salt. He uses 28 grams, including herbs, per kilo of meat. He rubs the meat and leaves it to rest for three to four weeks in a stainless steel container. This is how long it takes for the salt to penetrate the meat and remove the water. The pieces are then hung in a refrigerator for three to four months. The meat dries and loses 50% of its water. To give it a nice shape, it is pressed.

René Meyer's range of products is extensive and his charcuterie is enjoyed in the same way as wine, in a specific order, from the lightest to the strongest. You can therefore move from dried beef to garlic pork and horse meat, all equally exquisite. His sausages are equally original: red wine, blueberry, nettle, rhododendron, garlic and vegetable. You won't leave René Meyer's shop empty-handed. In fact, some Swiss ambassadors don't hesitate to fill their diplomatic bags with these charcuterie products before flying off to distant countries.