HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Culatello di Zibello'' is a
cured meat Curing is any of various food preservation and flavoring processes of foods such as meat, fish and vegetables, by the addition of salt, with the aim of drawing moisture out of the food by the process of osmosis. Because curing increases the solu ...
with a
protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...
(PDO) in the EU and UK typical of the
province of Parma The province of Parma () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its largest town and capital is the city of Parma. It is made up of 47 ''comuni'' (: ''comune''). It has an area of and a total population of aro ...
. Listed among the Slow Food Presidia of
Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...
, ''culatello'', mentioned for the first time in a document dating back to 1735, is produced from the leg of pork, which is then stuffed into the
pig's bladder A pig bladder or pig's bladder is the urinary bladder of a domestic pig, similar to the human urinary bladder. Today, this hollow organ has various applications in medicine, and in traditional cuisines and customs. Historically, the pig bladder ...
.


Production

The Consortium of Culatello di Zibello has established that the processing of ''culatello di Zibello'' can take place only in a limited, specified area and only from October through February, when ''la bassa'' is enveloped in cold fog. It is then that the part of meat obtained from the thigh of adult pigs, bred according to traditional methods, is skinned, degreased, boned, separated from the '' fiocchetto'' and trimmed by hand, so as to give it its characteristic "pear" shape. The ''culatello'' and ''fiocchetto'' trimmings are then used in the preparation of ''
strolghino ''Strolghino'' () is a ''salume'' prepared from pork. It is thin, with an average weight of 300 grams, and may be prepared from the "lean leg meat" of the domestic pig. Leftover cuts of meat from the preparation of '' culatello'' are typically us ...
''. These operations are followed, after about ten days, by salting and the so-called investiture, that is, the stuffing of the cured meat into the pig's bladder and the tying with string which, after aging, must have a large, irregular mesh. Careful aging in the cellar sees ''culatello'' from the winter fog to the summer heat, ready to be served the following winter when its unique flavor quality is in full bloom. The aging period is from a minimum of 10 months for the smaller pieces (at least 3 kg) up to an average of 14 months for all pieces. The annual production is about 50,000 pieces of ''culatello di Zibello'' PDO.


Gallery

File:Culatello di Zibello.jpg, The meat stuffed inside of a bladder, before the aging process File:Culatello di Zibello (stagionato).jpg, Aged ''culatello'' File:Culatelli.jpg, Several ''culatelli'' in a shop File:Culatello di Zibello & burrata.jpg, ''Culatello'' with burrata


See also

* '' Culatello''


References

{{Reflist Italian cuisine Cuisine of Emilia-Romagna Salumi Ham Italian products with protected designation of origin