Meat matters

Coppa

Also known as capocollo, an

Italian ham made with a boneless top shoulder/neck

muscle of pork, which is cured with salt, spices and herbs, wrapped in a natural casing and dried for three to

six months. The slices are fairly round, paper thin, well marbled with fat and with an

intense flavour.

Salami

Chopped pork, salted and

stuffed into casings then allowed to ferment (using an added culture, similar to

cheese making) before drying. Tuscan salami tends

to include red wine and fennel seed, while Hungarian salami is flavoured with paprika and usually smoked.

We tasted Felino-type salami, which takes its name

from the Italian town of Felino. Cured for at least 60

days, it has a delicate sweet flavour and is usually served

in diagonal slices.

Dry cured ham

Prosciutto and Jamón Ibérico, two of the best known dry-cured hams, are made from the back leg of a

pig, dry-cured and aged on the bone for months. Italian prosciutto, of which the

most famous variety is Parma ham, is usually made from Large White or Durac

pigs, while Spanish Jamón

Ibérico is made from Pata

Negra pigs. Supple and sweet-savoury prosciutto is generally sold cut on a slicer

into large, long paper-thin slices. Jamón Ibérico, with a

firmer texture and a more intensely savoury flavour, is

traditionally cut by hand, thinly but slightly thicker

than prosciutto, into matchbox-sized strips.

Bresaola

Salted, air-dried beef (or

occasionally other meat such as horse) usually “top

round” from the top of the leg, usually well marbled but

without an edging of fat. Traditionally served very

thinly sliced and dressed with olive oil and parmesan cheese.

Pancetta

Italian-style cured pork belly, rolled up into a log and dry-aged for around two

weeks. It’s similar to unsmoked streaky bacon,

but with a deeper flavour. It’s sold sliced or in cubes,

and is usually cooked.

Chorizo

Spanish chorizo sausage is a minced pork sausage (often smoked) flavoured

with spices including paprika and chilli and fermented like salami. It can be dried and ready to eat, or

a soft sausage for cooking.