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BRESAOLA
“Without a doubt, the most popular
salume made from beef. The texture
and grain of girello, or silverside, is perfect
for bresaola, which is salted and rubbed
with spices before it’s hung for at least
four months. During this time, and with
the formation of natural mould, the beef
develops a deep flavour, with rich, earthy
notes and a slight sweetness. The outside
is very dark and it’s not until it’s cut that a
bright red colour is revealed. I love to have
bresaola thinly sliced with a drizzle of olive
oil and some Parmigiano-Reggiano.”2
PROSCIUTTO
“Made from pig legs, prosciutto
is ham dry-cured on the bone for
three months. The legs are then boned
and the meat pressed into a heart shape.
They’re rubbed with salt, lard and pepper,
then hung for 18 to 24 months (or 36 for
a special reserve cure). A great prosciutto
should be supple, sweet and pink-red in
colour. The most famous examples are
from Parma and San Daniele.”3
’NDUJA
“This spicy salami paste originated
in Spilinga in Calabria. I grew up
spreading it on bread, and I’ve tried it
almost every way you can think of, except
in my coffee. We make it by mincing pork
meat and fat into a paste with salt, pepper
and dried chilli. That goes into natural
casings that are hung for up to six months.
Chefs are getting very creative with ’nduja.
Some use it in risotto, while Pizzaperta in
Sydney use it on a Calabrese pizza.”4
GUANCIALE
“Making guanciale, cured pork
cheek, is quite simple, but the
cheeks should be whole, large and thick to
get the best result. They’re coated with salt,
and black and white pepper, and left for
10 days, before being hung for at least two
to three months. The white ribbons of
fat and strips of meat, together with the
peppery coating, create an amazing scent.
If you love guanciale you eat it by the slice,
but it’s renowned for its use in carbonara.”5
CAPOCOLLO (COPPA)
“Capocollo, also known as coppa, is
made with trimmed and boned pig’s
neck. These are then covered with sea salt,
pepper, and the likes of cloves and nutmeg
and left for about 10 days. Our capocollo
is hung to dry and cure for a minimum
of four months: that gives it enough time
to develop perfume – a little bit musky,
a little bit spicy – and a beautiful natural
marbling, which makes for a creamy
texture on the tongue.”6
LARDO
“Lardo is cured pork back-fat.
Don’t let that scare you, though –
you’ll fall in love with its creamy texture
and buttery taste. Trimmed and squaredoff, the fat is rubbed with salt and
aromatic herbs and spices, such as
rosemary, then left to infuse (we leave ours
for six months). Place thin slices on toasted
bread and watch it melt like butter.”7
MORTADELLA
“Unfortunately mortadella’s
reputation has been undermined
by large processors, but the good stuff is
made simply using quality pork. The meat
is ground into a paste and thick hand-
diced pieces of pork fat are added, along
with salt, pepper and spices. This is then
put into casings, tied off, and baked at a
low temperature. Best sliced paper thin
and eaten with provolone and bread.”8
COTECHINO
“Various cuts of pork meat, rind
and fat make up this larger-style
sausage, commonly made and eaten during
the cold months. We like pork rind in our
mix, too – it gives the cotechino a lovely
coarse texture and stickiness. The mix is
put in casings and left in the fridge for a
couple of days to set. To serve, it’s always
boiled slowly and often served with lentils.
We used to have cotechino with lentils on
New Year’s Day – my mum said it’d bring
us luck for the whole year ahead.”9
PANCETTA
“You can find pancetta – or Italian-
style bacon – rolled or as pancetta
stessa, which is the traditional flat
pancetta. To make it, pork belly is salted,
rubbed with herbs, then hung to cure
for a minimum of two to three months.
Unlike most bacon it’s not smoked, so is
much milder. It can be enjoyed sliced on
its own, diced and fried in pasta, or, my
favourite way, with a ton of bread and
endless stracchino cheese.”10
CULATELLO
“Culatello, also known as the
king of prosciutto, is made
from the best section of a boned pig’s leg- the rump. The care and slow-curing
gives this cold cut its combination of
sweetness and salt. We hang ours for a
minimum of 24 to 36 months, and move
it between controlled temperatures and
humidity to replicate the town of Zibello,
in Parma, where culatello originated.” ●
GOURMET TRAVELLER 83