Capocolla
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Capocollo () or coppa () is a traditional Italian and Corsican pork cold cut ('' salume'') made from the dry-cured muscle running from the neck to the fourth or fifth rib of the pork shoulder or neck. It is a whole-muscle salume, dry cured, and typically sliced very thin. It is similar to the more widely known cured ham or prosciutto, because they are both pork-derived cold cuts used in similar dishes. It is not brined as ham typically is.


Terminology

This cut is typically called ''capocollo'' or ''coppa'' in much of Italy. This name is a compound of the words ''capo'' ("head") and ''collo'' ("neck"). Regional terms include ''capicollo'' ( Campania and
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) and ''capicollu'' (
Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
). Outside of Italy, terms include ''bondiola'' or ''bondiola curada'' in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and capicola or capicolla in North America. The pronunciation "gabagool" has been used by Italian Americans in the New York City area and elsewhere in the
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, based on the pronunciation of "capcuoll" in working-class dialects of 19th- and early 20th-century
Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...
. It was notably used in the television series '' The Sopranos'', and its use has become a well-known
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.


Manufacture and use

In its production, capocollo is first lightly seasoned often with red and sometimes white wine,
garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...
, and a variety of
herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
and spices that differs depending on region. The meat is then salted (and was traditionally massaged), stuffed into a
natural casing Sausage casing, also known as sausage skin or simply casing, is the material that encloses the filling of a sausage. Natural casings are made from animal intestines or skin; artificial casings, introduced in the early 20th century, are made of co ...
, and hung for up to six months to cure. Sometimes the exterior is rubbed with hot
paprika Paprika ( US , ; UK , ) is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers. It is traditionally made from ''Capsicum annuum'' varietals in the Longum group, which also includes chili peppers, but the peppers used for paprika tend to be milder an ...
before being hung and cured. Capocollo is essentially the pork counterpart of the air-dried, cured beef '' bresaola''. It is widely available wherever significant Italian communities occur, due to commercially produced varieties. The slow-roasted Piedmontese version is called ''coppa cotta''. Capocollo is esteemed for its delicate flavor and tender, fatty texture, and is often more expensive than most other '' salumi''. In many countries, it is sold as a gourmet food item. It is usually sliced thin for use in
antipasti Antipasto (plural antipasti) is the traditional first course of a formal Meal structure in Italy, Italian meal. Usually made of bite-size small portions and served on a platter from which everyone serves themselves, the purpose of antipasti is ...
or sandwiches such as muffulettas, Italian grinders and subs, and panini, as well as some traditional Italian
pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...
.


Varieties and official status

Two particular varieties, ''Coppa Piacentina'' and ''Capocollo di
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'', have
Protected Designation of Origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main ...
status under the Common Agricultural Policy of European Union law, which ensures that only products genuinely originating in those regions are allowed in commerce as such. Five additional Italian regions produce capocollo, and are not covered under European law, but are designated as "
Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale ''Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale'' (PAT) is an official approval for traditional Italian regional food products similar to the Protected Geographical Status of the European Union. A list of approved products is published by the Ministry of ...
" by the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food, and Forestry Policies: * ''Capocollo della
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''; * ''Capocollo del Lazio''; *''Capocollo di Martina Franca'' is a traditional ''capocollo'' of Apulia. It is smoked with laurel leaves, thyme, almonds, Mediterranean herbs and pieces of bark of Macedonian oak (called ''fragno'' in Italian), a tree typical of Southeastern Italy, the Balkans and Western Turkey. Usually it is served with figs; *'' Capocollo tipico senese '' or ''finocchiata'', from Tuscany; * ''Capocollo dell' Umbria''; Outside Europe, capocollo was introduced to Argentina by Italian immigrants, under the names '' bondiola'' or '' bondiola curada''.


See also

* List of dried foods


References


Further reading

* {{Cuisine of Italy Lunch meat Dried meat Italian cuisine Italian products with protected designation of origin Pork Salumi