Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking. As a processed meat, the term ham includes both whole cuts of meat and ones that have been mechanically formed.
Mortadella is a large salume made of finely hashed or ground cured pork, which incorporates at least 15% small cubes of pork fat. It is traditionally flavoured with peppercorns, but modern versions can also contain pistachios or, less commonly, myrtle berries. The sausage is then cooked.
The Aosta Valley is a mountainous autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, to the west; by Valais, Switzerland, to the north; and by Piedmont, Italy, to the south and east. The regional capital is Aosta.
Carrara marble, or Luna marble to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara in the province of Massa and Carrara in the Lunigiana, the northernmost tip of modern-day Tuscany, Italy.
Prosciutto crudo, in English often shortened to prosciutto, is uncooked, unsmoked, and dry-cured ham. Prosciutto crudo is usually served thinly sliced.
Soppressata is an Italian salume. Although there are many variations, two principal types are made: a cured dry sausage typical of Basilicata, Apulia, and Calabria, and a very different uncured salami, made in Tuscany and Liguria. It is still part of southern Italian cultural heritage that local people slaughter the pig themselves and use it all, with nothing going to waste, using some parts to make cured meats, including soppressata. It is sometimes prepared using prosciutto.
Capocollo or coppa is an Italian and French (Corsica) pork cold cut (salume) made from the dry-cured muscle running from the neck to the fourth or fifth rib of the pork shoulder or neck. It is a whole-muscle salume, dry cured, and typically sliced very thinly. It is similar to the more widely known cured ham or prosciutto, because they are both pork-derived cold cuts used in similar dishes. It is not brined as ham typically is.
Pancetta is a salt-cured pork belly meat product in a category known as salume. In Italy, it is often used to add depth to soups and pastas.
Salo or slanina is a European food consisting of salt-cured slabs of pork subcutaneous fat with or without skin and with or without layers of meat. It is commonly eaten and known under different names across Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. It is usually dry salt or brine cured. The East Slavic, Hungarian and Romanian variety may also be cured with paprika or other seasonings added, whereas the South and West Slavic version is often smoked.
Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Roman times and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize, and sugar beet—the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century. It is one of the best-known and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide.
Amatriciana sauce, known in Italian as sugo all'amatriciana or as salsa all'amatriciana, is a pasta sauce made with tomatoes, guanciale, pecorino romano cheese, black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, dry white wine, and salt. Originating in the comune (municipality) of Amatrice, the amatriciana is one of the best known pasta sauces in present-day Roman and Italian cuisine. The Italian government has named it a prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale (PAT) of Lazio, and amatriciana tradizionale is registered as a traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) in the EU and the UK.
Salumi are Italian meat products typical of an antipasto, predominantly made from pork and cured. Salumi also include bresaola, which is made from beef, and some cooked products, such as mortadella and prosciutto.
Coppia ferrarese, also known as ciopa, ciupeta and pane ferrarese, is a type of sourdough bread made with flour, lard, malt, and olive oil, and has a twisted shape. It was first made around the thirteenth century in the Italian province of Ferrara. It has protected geographical indication (PGI) in the European Union status under European Union law, which was obtained in 2001.
Vallée d’Aoste Lard d'Arnad is a variety of lardo produced exclusively within the municipal boundaries of the comune (municipality) of Arnad, in lower Aosta Valley, Italy. In 1996, it was recognised as a protected designation of origin (PDO) by the European Union and is promoted by the Comité pour la valorisation des produits typiques d'Arnad - Lo Doil producers association.
Colonnata is an Italian ancient village and a hamlet (frazione) of the comune of Carrara,. It is situated in the Apuan Alps, and is known worldwide for the pork fat delicacy Lardo di Colonnata, and for its marble quarries.
Valle d'Aosta Jambon de Bosses or Vallée d'Aoste Jambon de Bosses is a spicy cured ham product from the comune (municipality) of Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, in the Aosta Valley, Italy, one of the region's specialties. It was awarded European Union protected designation of origin (PDO) status.
The Marmifera, full name Italian: Ferrovia Marmifera Privata di Carrara, lit. 'private marble railway of Carrara', was an Italian industrial railway used for the transport of Carrara marble from the quarries of the municipal territory of Carrara, Tuscany. The route extended from the hillside village of Colonnata to the port of Marina di Carrara.
Salame Felino is a variety of Italian salume historically produced in the comune (municipality) of Felino and in some neighboring comuni, such as Sala Baganza and Langhirano, all in the province of Parma. It is recognized as a protected geographical indication (PGI).
This article provides information on animal production and consumption in Switzerland.
