Over the centuries, the lack of efficient tools for food preservation has led peoples to the improvement of superfine products such as cheeses, cured meats, jams, pasta.
       In Liguria, as in almost all coastal areas, the problem of preserving the first food resource of the place, fish, has always had to be faced. Furthermore, since Ligurian sailors were very skilled in fishing on the high seas, the quantities of fish to be preserved, as they were difficult to sell in a short time, were enormous. It was therefore necessary to develop preservation techniques that led to the invention of foods such as salted anchovies, canned sardines and tuna in oil.
       Although these products are now part of the world's food heritage, in the small ports of Liguria the tradition of processing the catch day by day is perpetuated, according to ancient recipes but applied by each laboratory with special wisdom. 
       Among the techniques developed, that of drying has given rise, in Liguria, to an extraordinary product: mosciame, a sort of dried meat made in ancient times with the flesh of the dolphin and, today, using only freshly caught tuna fillets. 

       It is a food that is mainly widespread locally, processed in the months of June and July, when the best specimens of tuna are caught. 
       With careful trimming, fillets are obtained from the fish to be salted for a few hours. They are then washed, dried, pressed and subjected to a gentle and slow drying, in the sun's rays or in chambers at a constant temperature of 25-30ºC. 
       This phase, which can be prolonged for a few days, is the most delicate and the skill of the craftsman consists in seizing the moment in which lucidity and shades of brown color indicate the optimal level of ripeness. 
       The mosciame can be stored well vacuum-packed and is eaten sliced after softening it in a marinade of extra virgin olive oil. You can season it as you like, but in itself it represents an extraordinary gastronomic experience. 

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