Coppa is a typical addition to an antipasto plate, served alongside other cured Italian Meats and enjoyed with a … And, while most whole-muscle salumi are dry-cured with salt, often in conjunction with sugars, spices, aromatics, or wine, it may surprise you to learn just how many are also commonly served cooked. Among them you can find: guanciale, guancialino, zampone, soppressata, lingua, stinco. Use it where you would bacon, but I recommend taking a nibble first to gauge the salt level, which can vary from one producer to the next. Niki is the Editor in Chief at Serious Eats and a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. google_ad_height = 600; I like it on a bed of arugula, dressed in lemon juice, olive oil, a shower of freshly ground pepper, and perhaps some flakes of a hard cheese, like Parmesan or Pecorino Romano. This area stretches from the shoulder to the rump and is home to some of… Due to the large panorama of Italian sausages  the guidelines do not claim to be comprehensive. Given its similarities to bologna, it's no surprise that most food historians trace mortadella's origins to the north-central Italian city. × Crucially, though, curing also allows good bacteria and mold to survive—those that protect the meat and deepen its characteristic fermented flavor. Enjoy it thinly sliced on its own, tuck it into a sandwich, or try it stirred into scrambled eggs. The loin (back of the carcass) is the most tender and expensive part of the pig. You're welcome to stick with my criteria, but the very best advice I can give you is to eat your way through these classics and come up with a definition—and maybe even a dance—of your own. My personal definition includes any seasoned Italian meat product that's sold ready to eat and traditionally served in slices. google_ad_width = 468; Having briefly considered employing the dog as a “turnspit” terrier, I decided this was probably not the most practical option for those hoping for a taste of Tuscany closer to home. stuffed in a boned pig trotter and boiled. google_ad_height = 90; "When meat is dry-cured, it loses 30 percent of its weight in water; like a stock reduced by one-third, meat reduced by a third is rich, dense, and intensely flavorful," write Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn in Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing. document.write("