Hailing from the Parma region of Italy, Culatello is considered a superior cured meat from the pork haunch, which boasts a clean and delicate flavor unlike many classic Italian cured meats. The hind muscle of a pig's thigh, usually reserved for prosciutto, is boned, and the best part is reserved. It is then salted, spiced, and then tucked into the pig's bladder, bound with string and dried for two to three months in a well-aired environment.
Following this, the meat is transferred to a humid, dirt-floored cellar for at least 10 months of aging. During this process, the culatello loses about half of its weight and the final product results in a distinctive pear-shaped ham with uniformly red meat, speckled with pieces of white fat between the muscle fibers. Culatellos scent is intense and distinctive, while the taste is sweet and delicate a perfect addition to an antipasto platter. |
