Nicknamed the 'King of Cured Meats', the culatello di Zibello is a charcuterie masterpiece, the most prized cured meat in Italian culinary culture. It owes its origins to the resourcefulness of the butchers of past who lived Iin the Bassa Parmense - Parma's low-lying lands. They would choose a leg, trim off the rind and the lean part (known as the fiocco), remove the bone, and then place the remainder in a natural bladder casing. Finally, they would carefully truss the resulting form. As per DOP labelling rules, the freshly selected legs come from pigs born and bred in Italy's Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy regions, which are trimmed and afterwards the most prized part is kept. After dry salting and a resting stage, each leg is placed in a traditional natural bladder casing. The casing is then hand-sewn and hand-trussed, in a process akin to culinary tailoring to create a bespoke garment, which will protect the culatello during its lengthy ageing. The culatello is left in the centuries-old damp terracotta cellars of Antica Ardenga for approximately 18 months, where - with the changing seasons - it takes on its characteristic flavours and aromas. The result is a unique product, with a full and complex flavour, for connoisseurs. Also available in a vacuum-packed half-trimmed version.
