''Cotechino Modena'' or ''cotechino di Modena'' (; spelled ''cotecchino'' or ''coteghino'' in some major dialects, but not in Italian) is a
sausage
A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders.
...
made with
pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
,
fatback
Fatback is a layer of subcutaneous fat taken from under the skin of the back of a domestic pig, with or without the skin (referred to as pork rind).
In cuisine
Fatback is a preferred fat for various forms of charcuterie, particularly sau ...
, and
pork rind
Pork rind is the culinary term for the skin of a pig. It can be used in many different ways.
It can be rendered, fried in fat, baked, or roasted to produce a kind of pork cracklings (US), crackling (UK), or scratchings (UK); these are ...
recognised as a product with a
protected geographical indication
Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and Traditional food, traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), promote ...
(PGI), originating in the city of
Modena
Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025.
A town, and seat of an archbis ...
, Italy. ''Zampone Modena'' or ''zampone'' is closely related and also obtained PDO status.
''
Cotechino'' dates back to around 1511 to
Gavello
Gavello is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rovigo in the Italian region Veneto, located about southwest of Venice and about southeast of Rovigo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,616 and an area of .All demographic ...
in
Mirandola
Mirandola (Emilian language#Dialects, Mirandolese: ) is a city and ''comune'' of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in the Province of Modena, northeast of the Modena, provincial capital by railway.
History
Mirandola originated as a Renaissance Defensiv ...
, where, whilst besieged, the people had to find a way to preserve meat and use the less tender cuts, so they made ''cotechino''. Mirandola developed its own specialty enveloped in a hollowed out
pig's trotter, named ''zampone''.
By the 18th century it had become more popular than the yellowish sausage that had been around at the time, and in the 19th century entered
mass production
Mass production, also known as mass production, series production, series manufacture, or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines ...
in and around the area.
''Cotechino'' is often served with lentils alongside
polenta
Polenta (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. It may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried or Grilling, grilled.
The variety of cereal used is ...
or mashed potatoes, especially around
New Year.
polenta
Polenta (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. It may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried or Grilling, grilled.
The variety of cereal used is ...
and lentils (bottom)
Image:Cotechino-Intero.jpg, Cooked ''cotechino Modena''
See also
* ''
Cotechino''
References
{{Reflist
External links
Cibo360 - Cotechino & Zampone(Italian)
Italian sausages
Pig's trotters