Cured meats from West Lombardy

 

Cured meats from West Lombardy

The plains of Lombardy are an ideal location to raise cattle, so beef has always been an important part of the local cuisine. Along with cattle, introduced in early Roman times, pork has also been raised in the plains of Lombardy since the age of the Longobardi – the Lombards – who ruled over the region between 568 A.D and 774 A.D. Food curing was already known at those times, as several sources describe the salting of meat in the ancient Mediterranean world. Preserving pork meat was crucial in times of scarcity or famine, or during voyages over land or sea, and this is why Lombardy has a long tradition of meat curing: there are 8 DOP (PDO – Protected Designation of Origin) and IGP (PGI – Protected Geographical Indication) specialities in the region, but it’s possible to find over 40 other different varieties of cured meats which have at least 50 years of manufacturing history behind them. Let’s now have a closer look at three of our favourites.

Coppa (Capocollo)

Coppa (also known as Capocollo) is a traditional pork cold cut made from the dry-cured round muscle running from the neck to the 5th or 6th rib of the pork shoulder. The name Coppa comes from the contraction of the word Capocollo, simply the capo – trad. head – and collo – trad. neck – of a pig. There are records of Coppa being made in Lombardy since the 18th Century. As many other salumi – trad. cured meats – Coppa can change a lot in flavour depending on the breed of pig or curing conditions: to ensure consistency, it was awarded PDO status in 1996. This cured meat was considered a very special product to be eaten on holidays or important events, so much so that it was even used by landowners as an incentive to workers to encourage them to work more! Coppa – that should always be cut very thin – is esteemed for its delicate flavour and tender, fatty texture and is often more expensive than most other salumi.

Prosciutto cotto

Prosciutto cotto is such a famous product that I’m feeling a bit embarrassed talking about it! Its name literally means cooked ham in Italian but differs from British cooked ham in several ways. First, the skin is left on the top of the product to keep in moisture and flavour. Second, the prosciutto is cooked very slowly creating a unique flaky texture. Third, the spices used are more aromatic and there is no smoking or sweetening making it more delicate. It is also very low in sodium, always a bonus. It was traditionally made only from the hind leg of a pig but I personally prefer the prosciutto made from the shoulder – called spalla cotta – as it’s made of a better balanced ratio between muscular fibre and fat.

Salame Milano

The Milano variety is one of the most well-known Italian salame. It’s fairly big in size and made exclusively with pork that is seasoned simply: just salt, pepper and garlic. Salame Milano doesn’t have an overpowering flavour and this makes it perfect for a variety of uses and pairings. The fat and lean parts are first refrigerated to harden them and are then passed under the cutter before they are minced and then mixed. To achieve its grana fine – trad. fine grain – a special device is used to spread the particles of fat and lean meat evenly. This finely minced mixture is then stuffed into a stitched natural pig’s intestine casing and strung tightly together. Maturation varies from a month to 70 days depending on size. When cut across the grain, the surface is characterised by a myriad of white and red coriandoli – trad. confetti – that give this great salame from Lombardy its special and distinctive flavour.

If you’d like to know more about these great meats, other products available on our menu or their pairings, just leave a comment below and I’ll be more than happy to answer your questions!

Buon appetito!

Giordano