Our shares are said to ".. the ingredients for a good Culatello are few and simple wisdom of the people, good pork meat, salt and fog ..".
The fog and the spirit of the place, its people: these are the secrets of Culatello.
For this we must never forget that Culatello is, before cooking, a cultural product, created by the people of Lower*, its secrets, its skilled and experienced hands, its traditions.
It is those people who find the taste of Culatello, its genuine and healthy respect for his memory, tenderness and passion that still bring in their works.
Why here in the land of Giuseppe Verdi, some jobs become art.
Culture, tradition and authenticity of the people of Lower are the secret ingredients and unique that make the difference and keep the quality of Culatello, compared with a risk of increasing industrialization processes.
THE CULATELLO TRADITION
Culatello is the larger muscular section of the back legs of a pig and has no rind or bone. It is first salted by hand and then covered (with the bladder) to better preserve and protect it.
Culatello was born in the "Bassa Parmense", the lowland farming area around Parma. The predominantly manual methods used in its production are strictly tied to the traditions of farming families who raised and slaughtered one or two pigs a year for their own food needs, and they produced their cured meats themselves.
The humid climate of this area made curing a whole pork haunch impossible. The whole fresh ham had to be de-boned first, and then the two parts obtained -the culatello and fiocco (or fiocchetto)- were aged separately.
HISTORY
Culatello has long been a product enjoyed by the lucky few, given its limited production and the restricted geographical area in which it is found. It is only within the last decade that its fame and consumption have begun to extend outside the Parma region.
The first historical reference to it is found in the decrees regarding "Price List for salted pork meat and the like, to be followed by recognized salt pork producers and other sellers dependent on this trade". In the decree issued on 11 May 1735, under the fourth point right after prosciutto, we find: Culatelli without bone ... 19 cents per pound". The price continued to rise over the years until an act of the Municipality of Parma, entitled "Price List for Salted Pork Meat" and dated 9 April 1805, notes that culatello cost 48 cents a pound.
Today, culatello is the most highly sought-after of all Italian cured meats, the most difficult to produce and unquestionably the most expensive.
INGREDIENTS
Culatello contains pork, salt and pepper in a recipe that is a closely-guarded secret.
OUR CULATELLO DOES NOT CONTAIN PRESERVATIVES or any other type of additive.
SERVING INSTRUCTIONS
The exterior of the culatello should be brushed to clean off any mold or dirt that may have accumulated on the outside protective layer of skin. Cut through and remove its string wrapping. Soak the ham, completely covered, in warm water for several hours. Change the water a number of times to remove any dirt residue. This soaking also makes it easier to peel the skin off the ham. The softer the skin, the easier it is to remove.
Then wrap the culatello in a dish towel that has been moistened in dry white wine and leave overnight in a cool place (temperature approx. 5°C to 15°C), preferably not in the refrigerator.
Begin slicing from the larger end of the ham.
Remember that the outside of the culatello is dryer than the inside, and great care should be taken when slicing it. We recommend the use of a slicing machine.
STORING
This product should be stored hung in a moist environment where little air circulates (such as a cellar).
Once a ham has been partially sliced, it should be kept in the refrigerator wrapped in a dish towel (which may also have been moistened with dry white wine) with kitchen wrap used to cover the cut area only.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
To make this culatello, we utilize only the legs of full-weight, Italian-raised adult pigs coming from selected breeders.
PRODUCT WEIGHT
Average whole weight: 4-5 kg.
Vacuum-packed half-hams weighing 2.0-3.0 kg. are also available.
Dalle nostre parti si dice che "..gli ingredienti per un buon Culatello sono pochi e semplici: sapienza delle genti, carne del buon maiale, sale e nebbia..".
La nebbia e lo spirito del luogo, della sua gente: sono questi i segreti del Culatello.
Per questo non bisogna mai dimenticare che il Culatello è, prima che gastronomico, un prodotto culturale, creato dalla gente della Bassa, dai suoi segreti, dalle sue mani abili ed esperte, dalle sue tradizioni.
È quella gente che ritroverete nel sapore del Culatello, il suo carattere genuino e sano, il suo rispetto per la memoria, la dolcezza e la passione che ancora oggi mettono nelle loro opere.
Perchè qui, nella terra di Giuseppe Verdi, alcuni lavori divengono arte.
La cultura, la tradizione e la genuinità della gente della Bassa sono gli ingredienti segreti ed inimitabili che fanno la differenza e che conservano la qualità del Culatello, a fronte di un rischio sempre maggiore di industrializzazione dei processi.
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