Bartolomeo Platina, a cookery writer from the fifteenth century, often recommended the use of wine in cooking, "the better to dilute and digest what we have eaten." The best cut of the meat for this roast is the piece closest to the tail, which is known as arrosto di codino (literally, "pigtail roast"). The veins of fat running through it give it a softer texture than meat from other parts of the animal. When the meat is almost cooked it is given a flavor boost by the addition of vegetables, and these with their juices make it even more tender.
