Luca Lazzari
Sous Chef
Following the publication of a thread about bucatini with pancetta, I felt the need to talk about the different kinds of pancetta, which are produced here in Italy.
As it always happens in Italy, you will find lots of variations for a single food, based on local heritage and culture. We can say a couple of universal things about our pancetta: it is made with belly pork meat, and it is appreciated and used across Italy.
We could compare Italian pancetta to North American or British bacon, but there are differences both in the cut of meat used, both in the making of this savory and versatile food. For example, in Italy we don’t have that beautiful back bacon which Britons love so much and while bacon, as far as I know, is usually only salted and/or smoked, pancetta undergoes a different treatment.
The glorious Pancetta family
Pancetta is an Italian cold cut produced with the belly and part of the ribs of the pig. Layers of fat and layers of muscle make this meat.
Let’s see how it is made
In Italy you can find different salumi under the name of pancetta
We can also distinguish pancetta from its flavor and curing
Buying and eating pancetta
The main advice when you buy pancetta is to look at the fat: if it has a yellow color, pancetta has not been prepared or preserved properly.
Pancetta tesa is generally used diced or chopped as an ingredient in various recipes, like pasta sauces carbonara or amatriciana, while pancetta arrotolata and coppata are eaten as a sliced cold cut, with flatbreads or to stuff panini. But you can also wrap finely sliced pancetta arrotolata around quails, for example, to add its typical fragrance to another meat. The best quality pancetta tesa can also be sliced and served in a cold cut plate.
You can also find industrial pancetta diced and ready to use in your recipes, so you’ll spare some time in the preparation.
High quality local Italian pancettas
Some of the best Italian pancettas:
Buon appetito!
As it always happens in Italy, you will find lots of variations for a single food, based on local heritage and culture. We can say a couple of universal things about our pancetta: it is made with belly pork meat, and it is appreciated and used across Italy.
We could compare Italian pancetta to North American or British bacon, but there are differences both in the cut of meat used, both in the making of this savory and versatile food. For example, in Italy we don’t have that beautiful back bacon which Britons love so much and while bacon, as far as I know, is usually only salted and/or smoked, pancetta undergoes a different treatment.
The glorious Pancetta family
Pancetta is an Italian cold cut produced with the belly and part of the ribs of the pig. Layers of fat and layers of muscle make this meat.
Let’s see how it is made
- First, the meat is cut and trimmed as needed.
- Second, it is cured with salt but also with herbs and spices. The seasoning mixture is based on various recipes, which are different for every producer. Among the spices, the most used is black pepper.
- Third, pancetta is seasoned for a variable time, depending on the final outcome to be produced.
In Italy you can find different salumi under the name of pancetta
- Pancetta tesa, also called pancetta piana (stretched pancetta) - It is a piece of meat, flattened, cured, sold in rectangular pieces, still with its rind (cotenna), sometimes with pieces of bone cartilage.
- Pancetta arrotolata (rolled pancetta) - In this case, the rind is trimmed away, and then the meat is cured and rolled to form a sort of big salami. Sometimes it is put in a casing and tied, to keep its shape.
- Pancetta coppata - It is a special kind of pancetta. The pancetta is rolled around a piece of coppa (another Italian pork cold cut), which is a cold cut leaner then pancetta.
We can also distinguish pancetta from its flavor and curing
- Pancetta dolce - Sweet pancetta, it refers to a pancetta tesa, which is not been smoked.
- Pancetta affumicata - This is smoked pancetta, usually pancetta tesa, but sometimes you can find also smoked pancetta arrotolata.
- Pancetta aromatizzata - In this case, the pancetta has been cured with very special mixtures of herbs and spices to enhance its flavor.
Buying and eating pancetta
The main advice when you buy pancetta is to look at the fat: if it has a yellow color, pancetta has not been prepared or preserved properly.
Pancetta tesa is generally used diced or chopped as an ingredient in various recipes, like pasta sauces carbonara or amatriciana, while pancetta arrotolata and coppata are eaten as a sliced cold cut, with flatbreads or to stuff panini. But you can also wrap finely sliced pancetta arrotolata around quails, for example, to add its typical fragrance to another meat. The best quality pancetta tesa can also be sliced and served in a cold cut plate.
You can also find industrial pancetta diced and ready to use in your recipes, so you’ll spare some time in the preparation.
High quality local Italian pancettas
Some of the best Italian pancettas:
- Pancetta Piacentina - A rolled, sweet and spiced pancetta, aged for at least 3 months, from the northern town of Piacenza.
- Pancetta di Calabria - From the southern Calabria region, it is a rolled pancetta, cured with salt and peperoncino, aged for about 1 month. Only the meat from pigs raised in this region can be used to make this local delicacy.
- Pancetta all’aglio di Caderzone - A pancetta tesa flavored with spices and garlic, from the northern Trentino region.
- Pancetta dei Nebrodi - A rolled pancetta, made only with the meat of local black pigs in Sicily.
- And a lot more...
Buon appetito!
