Johann Steinwender is very fond of tradition. He is the host in the Biedermeier Lerchenhof castle on the sunny side of Hermagor, and as a careful farmer, he is one of only 15 certified producers of the genuine Gailtal Valley bacon PDO. Anyone who wants to join him on the Slow Food Travel seminar "The fascination of bacon" will be taken on a journey from good animal husbandry and proper slaughtering to all the stages of bacon production. The bacon is cut into pieces and cured with selected spices, then carefully smoked and finally left to air-dry. The self-produced piece of bacon now needs what every good product needs according to master bacon-maker Steinwender’s philosophy: Time. That's why every participant receives their own piece of genuine Gailtal Valley bacon by post after about six months, as the most delicious of all course certifications.

Of course, the European Union also honours this and has granted trademark protection to the fine product. But it was not only the commissions in Brussels that paid their respects to this Gailtal Valley culinary delicacy! The scribe of the then bishop of the diocese of Aquilaea was addicted to Gailtal Valley bacon already in the 15th century. Paolo Santonino, a very eager reporter, praised the unique taste of Alpine bacon, thus proving how long this culinary craft has been a tradition in our country.

The Biedermeier castle of the Steinwender family symbolises the maturing process of the bacon. The manor house, built in 1850, did also not just appear in the lush sunshine near the Thurnhof as if by magic.