When I met Mauro Pellegrini and had the chance to taste his seafood cured meats, I was struck by the goodness and beauty of these products. When I then asked him how he came up with this idea of fish-based cured meats, he told me the story of his great-great-grandparents: in the 1800s, the main source of livelihood for the inhabitants of the Pistoia Apennines came from the "Carbonaie," that is, the transformation of wood, especially beech, into charcoal. Mauro's great-great-grandparents were charcoal burners who brought these techniques to the Maremma, the island of Elba and Sardinia, and so they spent many months away from home. The abundance of fish, their familiarity with wood and smoking, together with the desire and need for healthy, long-lasting products, led them to invent the first seafood cured meats, such as tuna bresaola and smoked swordfish speck. And Mauro has proudly revived and developed this artisanal production of Mediterranean fish meats, working them with skill, creativity and the awareness of offering healthy products, rich in high-quality proteins and surprisingly delicious. As for whether his "Carbonari" great-great-grandparents were also involved in the revolutionary uprisings of the Risorgimento… that's another story.