PDO Pancetta Piacentina is one of the most quintessential delicacies from Emilia’s culinary tradition. With its tasty, mild flavour, this cold cut is made exclusively in the Piacenza area, using pigs raised only in the Lombardian or Emilian farms.
This particular cold cut is produced using the part of the pig known as ‘pancetta’, or pork belly, which is processed and turned into a delicious, cylindrical-shaped cured pork salami that is bright red with swirls of white fat.
The salami is seasoned with a very specific combination of ingredients (salt, black or white pepper, red wine and garlic), which grants this pancetta its unique aroma and flavour, combined with a crucial ageing process of at least 45 days.
In cuisine
This cured pork salami can be used in a variety of ways in the kitchen, be it in the sauce for "pisarei e fasò", one of Piacenza’s best-known pasta dishes, or as an ingredient for a savoury cake or pie. Cut into rather thick slices, it is usually eaten on home-made white or wholemeal bread, or with a classic "tigella", the round, flatbread buns from Emilia.
But one of its best companions will always be Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and tasted with a glass of local red wine, such as Lambrusco, Barbera or the velvety smoothness of a fine Sangiovese.
