Italian Deli

Italian Cold Cuts 101

Maybe you’re standing in the middle of an Italian salumeria, so stunned by the legs of ham dangling from the ceiling and endless spread of cured meats you don’t know where to possibly begin. Or maybe you’re closer to home, hurriedly picking up some nondescript salami from your neighbourhood deli for a dinner party. From the rare, revered culatello to streaky coppa, you’re bewildered to say the least. And it’s no wonder: in Italy alone, there are thousands of salumi variations. So what are they, how do they differ, and what shall one choose?

Ham? Prosciutto? What makes salumi unique?

As far as Europeans are concerned, “ham” is a deceptively generic term, referring only to the hind legs of pigs. In Italy, that’s prosciutto. All other cold cuts are considered a type of salumi, or Italian cured meat.

Originally a method of food preservation dating back to prehistoric times, the process of curing meat has come a long way from its roots. In the last centuries, it has been practiced as an art form. Local artisan producers take into account myriad factors including breed, geography, climate, processing, and more to create delicacies unrivalled in other corners of the world. Today, only a handful of salumi claim to have Protected Designation of Origin (PDO or DOP) status, which guarantees its adherence to a strict set of centuries-old regulations.

Prosciutto, pancetta, guanciale…what’s what?

Prosciutto

Made from the pig’s hind legs, prosciutto is cured with nothing but sea salt and hung to dry for 10 to 36 months. While regions across Italy are teeming with their own versions of ham, Prosciutto di Parma and Prosciutto di San Daniele are perhaps the most well-known of all salumi. Both are prized for their tender melt-in-the-mouth flavour, with the latter carrying a slightly sweeter flavour than the Parma variety.

Culatello

They say one hasn’t truly known prosciutto until one has sampled culatello. Crowned the “king of prosciutto” and literally “little bum,” it is aptly named after the part from which it is made: the meatiest muscle in a pig’s rump. They’re hung to dry for 12 to 36 months in the farmhouses of Emilia-Romagna, where the damp Po River breeze carries its year-round mist through the windows – so crucial for the ham’s dusky perfume, and profound silken, velvety flavour.

Speck

Another type of prosciutto, speck is a cut from the pig’s lean hind leg that carries a robust spiced, smoky flavour and firm texture. Seasoned generously with spices such as peppercorns and juniper berries and smoked, it’s hung to dry for at least four to five months. Slice it thinly and enjoy it on its own, or slap it on top of pizza or pasta.

Pancetta

Pancetta is like bacon, but more complex, and most certainly better. Taken from the pork belly, it’s a cured cut of meat that, when treated as a culinary meat, imparts an intense meaty umami flavour to the dish. Render generous slices or cubes of pancetta in a pan to start a rich base for a pasta sauce, or crisp it up to add texture. Whatever form it comes in, whether it’s pancetta tesa (flat), pancetta arrotolata (rolled) or pancetta coppata (rolled with coppa), you’ll find there’s nothing quite like it.

Coppa

You’ll know a coppa or capocollo when you see one: whisper-thin slivers of pink-red meat streaked with white. Cut from the nape of the neck down to the shoulders, the meat is typically soaked in red wine and marinated with various spices, giving it its distinct red colour. Like prosciutto, it’s glossy and smooth in texture, but quite unlike prosciutto, it’s decidedly fattier and more seasoned in flavour – typically 30 percent fat and 70 percent meat – and remains soft and tender with a balanced bite.

Guanciale

If it’s a spaghetti carbonara you’re making, guanciale is what you’re looking for. The tender pig cheeks have a high fat content, and render down to make for a full, rich cooking fat. It’s often compared to pancetta – after all, they’re seasoned, aged and treated similarly – but carries a stronger flavour that makes it ideal for cooking.

Zampone

Unlike salumi, zampone is a fresh pork sausage native to Modena. Across Italy, the holiday staple is traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve with stewed lentils, which is said to bring good luck. A true Zampone Modenese with IGP status contains a mixture of 40 percent shoulder and thigh meat, 40 percent cheek and 20 percent skin packed into the pig’s trotter. The cotechino is a similar sausage, but is encased in the intestine.

How to enjoy salumi

If you’re at a restaurant, salumi is typically enjoyed as antipasti (starters) or Aperitivo (pre-meal drink or light snacking). And even better, paired with something sparkling to drink. Or if you’re buying your own, try to have the prosciutto sliced from the leg on the spot. The thickness of the cut will depend entirely on your preference: whether you’d like to have a bit of a bite to your salumi, or sliced thin and gossamer. The best way, of course, is to ask for a sample to see if it’s to your liking. Eat it straight out of the paper, pair it with cheese, on a sliver of melon, or slap it between bread on a panino.
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