Bündnerfleisch

thumb Bündnerfleisch (), also known as Bindenfleisch, Grisons Meat or Viande des Grisons (), is an air-dried meat that is produced in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland.

==Production== The main ingredient is beef, taken from the animal’s upper thigh or shoulder, the fat and the sinews being removed. Before drying, the meat is treated with salt, sugar and assorted spices. The initial curing process, lasting 3–5 weeks, takes place in sealed containers stored at a temperature close to freezing point. The meat is regularly rearranged during this stage, in order to ensure that the salt and seasonings will be evenly distributed and absorbed. During a second drying phase, the meat is then hung in free-flowing air at a temperature of between 9 and 14 °C. It is also periodically pressed in order to separate out residual moisture: from this pressing Bündnerfleisch acquires its characteristic rectangular shape. Traditionally Bündnerfleisch was not a smoked meat.