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Eat Here: Da Gemma

Note the ubiquitous sfusati (bulky lemons) on the Da Gemma lamp fixtures

Today we are going to pay a lunch-time visit to a restaurant that was recommend by our concierge at Hotel Convento in Amalfi. And now, we recommend it to you, too…that is, if you happen to be on the Amalfi coast of Italy.

Since you’re staying at the fabulous Grand Hotel Convento, and it’s not too far into Amalfi town, let’s walk.

Along the way we’ll check out the small town campo, the church, and a few of the local shops.

So, join me now as, off we go to a now-favorite trattoria, Da Gemma.

Getting Into Town from Our Hotel

But, before we begin our journey into town, we need to rise-and-shine. We woke up a bit early this morning to catch sunrise from the Hotel Convento. It was spectacular, wasn’t it? You can learn a good bit more about the Hotel Convento by reading my article titled, Staying in a Convent Retreat.

A Post-Breakfast Swim

I’m sure you remember the nice swim we had after breakfast in the hotel’s cliff-side infinity pool. You looked fabulous in that new swimsuit, by the way!

Cliff-side pool of the Grand Hotel Convento

Talk about a pool with a view to infinity! Nice, huh?

To infinity and beyond…actually to Sicily

Making Our Way Into Town

OK, we’ve toweled off and changed clothes, so into town we go. Good move not wearing shorts…that’s a sure sign of a tourist in Italy.

Rather than taking the elevator down to the roadway, we’ll walk the many steps that wind their way down to town. Don’t worry, it’s all downhill from here.

There’s our destination…the red arrow points the way to the one-and-only road that pierces the heart of the ravine town of Amalfi.

[BTW: you can see the pool house about a quarter of the way into the photo from the left, and a third of the way down…and those horizontal rows of foliage below Amalfi’s mausoleum and the hillside above town, we’ll talk about those as we’re strolling in Amalfi]

As we near the bottom of the winding stairway, we look up to see our hotel poised on the edge of a cliff.

We’ve come a long way in the down-vertical direction

Wandering Our Way To Trattoria Da Gemma

Now, to work our way to our destination for lunch, Da Gemma.

In this aerial view of ravine-dwelling Amalfi, you can see Da Gemma in the blue box. But, as we are a bit early for lunch, we decide to first explore Amalfi’s charms. We’ll start with the Duomo di Amalfi (in the orange box), which is dedicated to San Andreas (aka Saint Andrew, the brother of Saint Peter). You can read a bunch about San Andreas, his relationship to Scotland, and this church, in my article titled, Transforming the Cathedral of San Andreas.

The blue box marks Da Gemma…the orange, the cathedral of San Andreas

The Piazza Duomo

As we start toward the church, there is a small piazza (more of a campo) with an age-old statue of San Andreas.

“Why the x-shaped cross?”, you ask…it’s because Saint Andrew's martyrdom by crucifixion was on a cross called a ‘saltire’ cross, which is an ‘x-shaped’ cross, like the one he is holding onto in his last moments.

You can see just a bit of the statue to the left in this very old photo of this same campo.

Here is my own rendition of the old photo, which I created using Google ‘street view’. As they say, “Close, but no banana”.

The Duomo (Cathedral)

Just across the street we see the steps of the cathedral I’ve removed all of the people from the photo except the bride, standing at the top of the steps. And, I replaced a blah sky with one of more drama. The Duomo has a rather magnificent mosaic façade.

Here you can see the exquisite detail of the mosaic, with a still-different sky.

Here are just a few interior photos, as Ellen leads us inside.

Beautiful! But, it’s time to begin our walk toward Da Gemma.

Street Life in Amalfi

This hungry, but well mannered, pup outside the butcher’s shop reminds us of just how hungry we too, are.

But, to get to Da Gemma, we have to negotiate the one-and-only street through town. Yes, this it it! Via Lorenzo D’Amalfi.

The street is so narrow that there are traffic lights that alternate traffic from north to south.

Another Google street-view photo below shows us that street light. The sign above the red light asks motorists to turn off their engines whilst waiting for a green light, rather than idling out emissions in this pedestrian laden area.

One must wait for vehicles preceding you (before you caught that red light) to travel over 1,000 feet on a green light, and then wait for oncoming vehicles to traverse that same distance before your own green light is activated…then add a good bit of pedestrian slowed time to the formula. I have no idea if this is all done automatically, or whether someone monitors the situation to change the lights at the appropriate time. But hey, it’s Italy!

See the folks in shorts? Tourists.

To avoid the occasional step-into-a-doorway routine, you can use one of the pedestrian tunnels that parallels the roadway, like this one.

A Few Street-Side Shops

Along our way, we pass shops selling this and that. This one sells mostly wine, as it is an ‘enoteca’.

And, this one features bottle after bottle of Limoncello. This sweet-tart-sweet (I’m emphasizing the sweetness, here) liqueur is made from lemons that abound along the Amalfi coast.

Limoncello is not made from your momma’s lemons, though. A single lemon is called a ‘sfusato’, and they are just a bit on the bulky side. The photo below showing sfusati hanging from the arbor was taken at our Hotel Convento. And, in the photo taken on our full-day boat trip to Capri, you can the ubiquitous terraces of sfusati layered up the hillside. Virtually all of the sfusati are destined for limoncello.

[Want to know more about having a fabulous day traveling along the Amalfi coast on your way to the Isle of Capri? See my article titled, “One Fine Day”]

And, did you notice the prosciutto hanging in that limoncello laden shop? What is that smeared on the cut-end of the leg? You can learn more about prosciutto in my previous article on Italian meats titled, “Eat This: Italian Meats - Part 1”.

Trattoria Da Gemma

Ahhh, we’ve reached Da Gemma, which means that it’s time for lunch!

Da Gemma is not a flash-in-the-pan restaurant. This trattoria has been around since 1872…and we’re glad of it.

It’s not located on the street, but thankfully, above it. Your al fresco dining is on a lovely terrace, above the hustle-and-bustle of Via Lorenzo D’Amalfi.

We’ll take those steps up to the right to get to our lunch.

As we typically do, we start our meal by enjoying a bit of the bubbly…prosecco. Cold and refreshing!

The waitstaff are super helpful and friendly…as is everyone we encountered in Amalfi. Here is Alfonso, who took great care of us.

And here are the two handsome young men behind the glass who man the pasticceria.

We’ve now ordered, and Ellen has been given a rather dangerous looking tool. We’ll have to see what that’s for.

But first, it’s time for a refreshing white wine. Alfonso recommended this Greco di Tufo. It is much like a Gavi…rich, refreshing and light…we like it! And of course, it’s a DOCG wine.

This is some sort of amuse-bouche, and at this seven-years-past-the-event stage, I have no idea what it was. But it was well plated, presented, and it tasted yummy.

As is customary for a meal in Italy, the pasta course is a ‘primi’, or first course, which is typically followed by a meat course. Notice the beautiful plating. And that tomato-heaven sauce on the pasta…bellissimo.

One most always gets a presentation of the prepared fish course

For us, the secondi meat course is a nice branzino (sea bass), cooked perfectly. It was presented table-side (above), and then Alfonso and helper began the deconstruction needed to plate the dish for us.

And, here is our fish course, complete with potatoes and a superb buttery-lemony sauce.

This dish is typical of seafood-dish presentations you will find in Italy. As proof, here is another sample of a superb fish course, this one enjoyed the next day on the Isle of Capri.

Do they do dolce in Italy? Yes, they do. The one of the left is the one we ordered. The one on the right…with limoncello…is house-provided…just in case one needs more sweets in one’s life.

All so very satisfying. Will we have room for this evening’s dinner? Always!

Along with the presentation of il conto (the bill), Ellen is presented with a couple of souvenirs of Da Gemma.

As we depart, we say a fond, “Grazie e arrivederci” to the friendly, competent kitchen staff.

La Fine

I hope that you enjoyed tagging along with us on our Amalfi adventure today.

Now, two questions:

What was that tool for that Ellen was holding? I have no remembrance of that. And I have no photos of a food item needing such a treacherous tool.
Who is going to help us get back up to our cliff-side hotel? We need a lift…literally.

If you find yourself in Amalfi town, please pay a visit to Da Gemma…you will not be disappointed. If it’s OK with you, we’ll walk with you from the hotel, high on the hillside.

And, until our next adventure…

Ciao for now,

Steve

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A Typical Quiet Walk in Venice

Index of Articles

“Join me now for a quiet walk in Venice’s Dorsoduro sestiere, with pleasant sights along he way”

It’s time to slow our lives down a bit and have a simple, quiet day in out-of-the-way locations of Venice. Tag along as I take a walk through quiet Dorsoduro, ending the day with a pleasant meal…and more.

For sure, there is a lot of hustle-and-bustle in Venice, especially in the districts of San Marco and San Polo, but you and I will be spending the day exploring Dorsoduro.

We plan to visit the Gallerie dell'Accademia (Venice’s art gallery), and have lunch somewhere along the way…though we know not where, as we start. There’s a mask shop I’ve heard about and into which I’d like to take a peek. And, if I have time, there’s Campo Santa Margherita, which is a great place to sit under a tree and do a bit of people watching. Not sure where we’ll go after that, but who cares, right?

So, let’s get going!

We Begin Our Walk

We need to get to Dorsoduro from the Hotel Flora, where we are staying in the sestiere of San Marco. We get to Dorsoduro by passing through Campo Santo Stefano, and then crossing over the Academia bridge. It’s taken us awhile to get away from the area of our hotel, as so many of our favorite shops are situated along Calle Larga XXII Marzo. Like La Ricerca, which we never pass up without going in to browse, purchase, and visit. His mother a master bookbinder 40 years ago, he keeps the tradition alive using a small group of gifted leather and bookbinding craftsmen to supply his small shop. Six years older in the right photo, but still the same great smile!

We pull ourselves away from the craft shops along the way until finally, we are in the quiet Dorsoduro.

As we cross the Accademia bridge, we note the ‘lover’s lock’ that Ellen and I placed there on a previous trip!

Actually, we don’t do that sort of thing. We put it in the same class as graffiti. For this photo, I borrowed the photo from Helen’s and Georg’s lock.

For your information, the Accademia bridge has been completely redesigned and reconstructed to prevent such appliques. Sorry Helen & Georg, no more displays of your true love.

Gallerie dell'Accademia

As the Gallerie dell'Accademia is right before us as we descend from the bridge, we may as well go in to see the magnificent art pieces that hang there.

A discussion of the Accademia will be held for another day, but I’ll just point out one art work that we’ll see on our visit today. It’s Giovanni Bellini’s “Madonna and Child between Saints Catherine and Magdalene”, shown here in a surreptitiously captured photo from a previous visit. There is such beautiful brushwork in this 23”x42” work of art.

We’ve spent a good bit of time in the Accademia, and we feel the pangs of hunger. It’s time to wander toward that lunch that I’d promised you.

We’ve heard good things about Ai Gondolieri, but that is not in the general direction that we had planned to wander…we want to get to the large Campo Santa Margherita to see what we can see. So, we’ll head west.

An Unusual Wine Shop

I’ll snap some photos of the sights whilst we stroll the calle of Venice. Like this wine shop where you bring in your own bottle and self-serve fill it with wine, right from the demijohn. I checked my pockets and didn’t have any bottles on me, so I’ll have to rely on whatever restaurant I find for us along the way.

Bridges Make For Hard Work In Venice

There are 409 bridges in Venice, and one rarely finds one that doesn’t have steps. And as there are no land-based vehicles in Venice, deliveries are made with hand trucks…like this one. This adds to the cost of goods. And it creates delivery men with great leg strength.

See the little wheels just to the front of his rubber tires? That’s the secret to working one’s way up and over the steps.

Stay Tuned for Next Week’s Article

Then here’s a rather non-descript door that I might be able to transform later for you. Maybe even next week. So, be sure to come back to see what I do with this blah snapshot.

A Quick Pharmacy Stop

Here we find a pharmacist, taking a telefonino break.

OK ladies, and you gentlemen interested in maintaining a youthful look, you might want to pick up some of that DÒLIVA advertised in the window of the farmacia. It suggests that you should ‘love your skin’, and promises it will contribute to the care of all 360° of your face. It’s amazing what olives can do for one’s complexion.

Floating Market

What’s this? A floating market..selling fresh produce from the mainland. And, not all is what we see in our own markets.

Ahoy, Matey!

As we take a sharp left to avoid falling into the Rio de San Trovaso canal and losing that bag of Doliva that you’re carrying, we see a father taking his two children on a water-bourn adventure. Are pirates in their future?

I doubt that we will see them in that little boat later on the busy Grand Canal.

Where The Gondole Go For Repair

Now we are along the canal known as Rio de San Trovaso. With a bit of guide-book research, we find that Rio de San Trovaso is the canal from which the gondole of Venice are maintained and repaired. Here is a photo of Campo San Trovaso, where the gondole are dragged up onto dry land (at least it’s dry at this moment, and a bit more on that later).

Seeing this rare site gives me the idea to write a blog article about the ubiquitous gondole soon…stay tuned for that.

And Now, Lunch…Finally!

Along this canal, we find a likely candidate for lunch. Taverna San Trovaso seems to be just what we are looking for…quiet and out of the way.

Here is the entrance to Taverna San Trovaso. Definitely unassuming…but the warm wood promises a warm-inside experience.

Here’s a photo from their website that well shows the inside first floor…which is less formal than the upstairs dinner spot.

Here’s what I’ve ordered for lunch.

First was crudo, stracchino. This translates to raw meat (raw, but well aged and cured prosciutto…you can read more about that in my previous article on Italian meats) and cheese. In this case, the cheese is stracchino (strak-KI-no). It’s a type of Italian cow's-milk cheese that’s eaten very young. It has a soft, creamy texture and normally a mild and delicate flavor. Here is my plate.

You can see that I’ve got a basket of bread and packaged grisini to go along with my crudo. And, I’m sure that you didn’t miss the small carafe of vino rosso. And those who know me well searched and found a can of Coca-Cola Light along the right edge of the photo.

As I’m into just a lite lunch today because I’m saving up my calories for a nice dinner at Antico Martini later tonight, I’ll just have a simple salad…this one with mozzarella, tomato and arugula, topped with a few savory olives. In Italy, mozzarella is made from the milk of water buffalo, and is referred to as ‘bufala’.

That about sums up my typical lunch for today. On other days, I might have worked in fresh seafood, because it is definitely fresh here in Venice.

And speaking of summing up, what has all this come to in Euros? Let’s check out the tab.

That’s a grand total of 30 Euro. I know you are about to say ‘Ouch!’, but remember that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, brought in and consumed in Venice is brought in by boat. Your wallet? Don’t leave home without it.

And, did you notice the wine and the Coca-Cola for the same price? On a budget, might as well drink the wine.

That last charge of 2 Euro is the ‘cover charge’. This is your ‘sitting down to eat’ charge. Many times, if you eat at the bar (and don’t mess up a table cloth and use the normal wait staff), you will not have a coperto charge.

You are asking, ‘Was your server a woman?’. Yes!

This has been a rare experience in our trips to Italy. So, I’ve decided that documentation is in order!

High Water Mark

We are fortunate that it is not the season of aqua alta, or high water. That season is generally around November, when tides and winds blowing to the northwest up the Adriatic pile a good bit of unwanted water into the Venetian lagoon. Take another look at the entrance to Taverna San Trovaso above, and then look at the photo below (which I snapped from a photo on the wall of the restaurant).

There’s danger in aqua alta! There are many calle that end at a small canal, with no wall or railing to keep you from falling into the canal. When the water is at a normal level, you can see that the calle ends, and you can avoid an unplanned dip. But when the water is high, and has flooded the calle upon which you walk, beware, as there may be a canal, and not an intersection with another calle. Locals know their way around, we don’t.

Let’s continue on our stroll high-and-dry through the calle of the Dorsoduro district.

A Friendly Maker of Venetian Masks

Here’s a friendly craftsman. This gentleman is the maker of the famous Venetian masks that are seen during Venice’s Carnevale (the equivalent of the New Orleans’s Mardi Gras).

Here he’s sitting outside his shop on this sunny day, forming what will become a festive mask.

Shhhh!

It must be a slow day for the gondola trade. Just so you know, I didn’t disturb him as I tiptoed by.

However, it’s not a completely unproductive day for gondoliers, as we can see as this happy couple seem to be enjoying their afternoon ride.

It’s Time for Reflection

Now, we pause to reflect on our day thus far…

Venetians, Doing What Venetians Do

And then there are the Venetians, going about their daily Venetian routines.

Joining In On A Fashion Shoot

Ahh, here’s a fashion shoot. I think I’ll join in. She looks beautiful, doesn’t she.

Hmmm. I seem to remember joining in on a photo shoot yesterday with this same model…that shoot was at the Rialto bridge. Yes, I think it’s the same beautiful model…though with a different wedding dress.

Is Anyone Home?

And here are the door bells for the Polizzi, Gervasoni, and Agnoli families. I wonder what the architect was thinking about when he created this design? Hmmm, I wonder.

An Afternoon Gathering of Friends

In a quiet place, we see two friends having a nice afternoon chat, both with a cappuccino, if I remember correctly.

Souvenir Shopping

And now a shop window, where one can purchase a souvenir hat to commemorate one’s visit to Venice.

Interested in Alfresco Dining?

And here, a typical al fresco dining situation in Venice…outside, but still classy.

We Need To Get A Move On!

Uh oh, that table setting reminds me that I need to get back to the Hotel Flora to freshen up and get ready for that dinner at Antico Martini. I’d hoped to get to Campo Santa Margherita to get supplies for a picnic tomorrow on the super-quiet and out-of-the way island of Torcello. I’ll have to pick up picnic items early tomorrow at the Rialto Market.

Antico Martini is a restaurant that has been in continuous operation since the 1700s and has seen a lot of Venetian history. And, I must say that I also made Antico Martini history, as years ago, I was the first person to ever make a reservation there using the internet! This distinction garnered fresh flowers on the table, as well as prosecco on the house! Thank you, Emilio.

So, it’s back to the hotel. Walking briskly along the Grand Canal, it starts to sprinkle just a bit. And here, I learn what the Venetians do as they drive their boats in the rain. Just what the rest of use do as we raise our umbrellas as we walk.

Stepping Out For Dinner And More

I’ve gathered the group at the Hotel Flora and we are heading out to dinner.

And, here we are at our favorite Venetian restaurant, Antico Martini…always a pleasant and relaxing meal after a long day in Venice.

Are we in the right place? I believe we are.

Scott and I peruse the wine list at Antico Martini, which has many tasty offerings.

Do you recognize the winged lion of San Marco on the wine-menu cover?

It’s time for a toast to friends not present…which unfortunately, includes you..this time.

Our dinner fare is not as simple as that at Taverna San Trovaso, but I was able to have another bufala salad…this one a caprese.

Our After-Dinner Destination

After dinner, one does not go to the movies in Venice…one goes to Piazza San Marco…and should one choose, dancing.

Only when we hear the campanile’s Marangona bell toll midnight do we leave…and then reluctantly. And then, It’s back to the hotel for a restful night’s sleep in this quiet, idyllic hotel.

I’m glad you got to spend the day walking the quiet calle of Dorsoduro with me. But now, at the end of the day, it’s time to spend a bit of time with my bride.

I hope that you enjoyed our stroll through the calle of Venice’s quiet Dorsoduro sestiere. And, Dorsoduro is just one of six sestieri that make up the amazing floating city of Venice. Maybe tomorrow we’ll run into each other in Cannaregio’s Ghetto. Or, maybe we can relive Venice’s sailing days at Castello’s Arsenale. Wherever you may roam in Venice, I know that you, too, will create many memories along the way.

Ciao for now,

Steve

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Eat This: Italian Meats - Part 1

Index of Articles

Today we delve into the world of Italian meats. Here are a few photos taken over the years as we’ve visited Italian meat markets.

“I’ll start today with just the cured meats…done the Italian way. Next week, we’ll cover the sausage/salami and lard meat categories”

Most of what I’ll cover will be cured meats classified as ‘cold cuts’, or ‘salumi’ (not to be confused with ‘salami’ or ‘salame’) in Italian. And most are created from pork, though a few may have beef, venison, wild boar, horse or donkey. I wouldn’t worry about getting anything made from the latter two, though it can be found in an occasional meat market (macellaio) of Italy.

In these photo, you can see that these non-traditional products (at least in the U.S.) are clearly marked as ‘cavallo’ or ‘asino’, respectively. Alas, sorry to disappoint, but we’ll just stick to meat products made from pork and beef.

When I say ‘products’, that’s what they are. The subject of today’s article is not a beef steak or a pork loin, but natural cuts of meat that have been transformed into a completely different product, like cold cuts and sausages.

Like me, you may have grown up eating sandwiches made with baloney (American slang for Bologna) or salami. Those were probably a mass produced Americanized version of the real thing…though there is typically no comparison to the ‘real thing’ of Italy.

I will be discussing these fine Italian meat products in three categories: cured, sausage/salami, and lard…yes, lard prepared in a special Italian way is considered to be a delicacy to be enjoyed like other cold cuts.

Because the cured meats are the most popular…in particular prosciutto, I’ll start today with just the cured meats…done the Italian way. Next week, we’ll cover the sausage/salami and lard meat categories. And, as prosciutto is the king of cured meats of Italy, I’ll spend a lot of time describing how it is produced…and I’m not pulling your leg!

CURED MEATS

Italy is well known for its cured meats, known as salumi. Methods and curing ingredients vary by region and local customs, based on their curing traditions, with some traditions going back centuries. So, salumi in one place can be distinctly different than salumi found in another place, where herbs and other ingredients differ.

Some of the cured meats are cooked during their processing, but most are air-dried after getting some distinctive treatment during their preparation. I’ll start the salumi discussion with one of the most popular, and that is prosciutto.

PROSCIUTTO

[proh-SHOO-toh]

Pork

A custom cutting stand for thinly slicing prosciutto

Prosciutto is made from the hind leg of a pig. There are actually two famous prosciutti in Italy, that from Parma and that from San Daniele, though Prosciutto di Carpegna and Tuscan Prosciutto Crudo can also be found. Here’s the lowdown on this tasty haunch of pork.

Rigid Standards

Whether it is Parma or San Daniele, prosciutto can only be produced from Italian-born and bred pigs raised according to the highest standards, which are monitored, inspected, and traced. Acceptable pigs are the Large White, Landrace, and Duroc breeds. Whether for Parma or San Daniele prosciutto, the pigs are all raised within the same 10 northern and central Italian regions.

Two Styles

We know prosciutto as a dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked…this style is called prosciutto ‘crudo’ (raw) in Italian and is distinguished from cooked ham, or prosciutto ‘cotto’ (cooked). And though it is uncooked, it really isn’t as raw as you might think…that’s where the curing comes into play. A well-cured prosciutto has a deep red meat and pure white fat.

The Curing Process

For the curing of prosciutto, one would want a dry climate…and that’s what you have in the Parma and San Daniele regions of Italy. For curing, you also need salt…lots of salt. A salt master, or Maestro Salatore in Italian, is in charge of determining just how much salt is appropriate for the legs that our well-cared-for pigs have given up for your dining enjoyment.

Here are salt-rubbed legs prior to aging.

Here are legs seen in two stages: to the left, they are ready to have their open ends rubbed with a fat-salt protective coating; and to the right, that coating has been applied.

You are probably wondering how long the curing process lasts…I mean, we don’t want the meat to spoil and go bad, right? Well, there’re two phases to curing: the resting phase, or riposo; and, the drying, or sugna, phase. The resting phase finds the ham literally hanging around for about 3 months.

After that, the drying phase begins when the legs are smeared with a rice flour, salt, and pork fat mixture. This salty paste is what begins the curing process. And, that pork fat seals the cut end of the leg to prevent spoiling. Using a very thin horse bone, the caretakers occasionally insert it into the ham, withdraw it, and then smell it. If it isn’t malodorous, all is well. This part of the curing process lasts at least a year, and sometimes three years, when its unique full-bodied flavor is at its best. So, three years without being spoiled…that’s the benefit of salt curing.

Here are a couple of expert sniffers sniffing their horse bone picks.

The Taste of Prosciutto

How does it taste? Some say sweet…some say salty…and some say sweet and salty. You’ll have to try it to make your own decision. It’s always served thinly sliced and satisfyingly salty. We’ve eaten it wrapped around cantaloupe melon, asparagus, dates, cheese…all good uses. You can also savor it by itself, or on a charcuterie plate.

From the San Dan website: “The more mature the prosciutto, the stronger the aroma, offering hints of crusty bread and notes of dried fruit and barley malt. The flavor is also unmistakable: subtle yet deliciously tasty mixed with the tang of cured meat to create a perfectly balanced flavor that transforms every mouthful into a multisensory experience.” I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Why so thinly sliced? It’s expensive, that’s why…you want it to go a long way. We ran across a shave-it-off-the-leg yourself situation at the Lodge at Vail years ago…unheard of since! Prosciutto heaven.

Have you cooked with diced speck? It comes from the hind leg like prosciutto, but that’s the only similarity. Speck is smoked during the final step of the curing process, and the smoky flavor tastes similar to bacon. Speck can be used as you would pancetta, which I will cover a bit later.

Most definitely, don’t confuse prosciutto with American-style smoke-cured ham…there’s no comparison. If you confuse the word prosciutto with prosecco, please take a few moments to get centered, go have a glass of prosecco, and then come back to continue reading about Italian meats.

The Curing Environs

Parma prosciutto is produced near the town of Parma, along the Po River valley. San Daniele Is produced in the hilly area around the town of San Daniele in the province of Udine, which is in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. If you go as far as you can to north-eastern Italy -- way up there on the right -- you are in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

The Pig’s Diet

As mentioned previously, the pigs are raised within the same 10 regional areas. However, the Prosciutto di Parma pigs seem to have a bit better pre-prosciutto existence. You’ve heard of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (simplified in the U.S. as ‘parmesan cheese’), right? Well, there’s a link to this cheese and the prosciutto from Parma. Besides the usual grain and cereal diet (it’s hard to think of a pig having a ‘diet’ isn’t it?), these pigs often have parmesan in their diet. They aren’t actually eating a big chunk of cheese, but the whey from the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese producing process. As they say, “You are what you eat”, and that applies to these large pigs. The whey in their diet adds to the complex taste of their future-self as prosciutto.

The Leg’s Shape

The Parma leg is left in its natural shape…a bit stubby. But, the San Daniele legs are pressed to give them their characteristic "Stradivarian" shape, i.e. they have the shape of an oversized violin, so it’s longer and skinnier than Parma. Who presses the leg? Why women it seems, as men lack the ‘necessary touch’.

Here is a San Daniele prosciutto ham…it has a traditional flattened shape.

And the stubbier Parma prosciutto. Note the Parma Crown that has been branded onto the prosciutto.

Here is a glimpse of the branding process…less painful than a cattle brand (with a live cow).

Let’s shave off a piece to enjoy, shall we?

That’s it for prosciutto. Try it wrapped around ripe cantaloupe…prosciutto e melone…delish.

GUANCIALE

Pork

It’s hard to actually call this a meat…it’s a good bit of fat with some occasional color.

It is a similar fat product to pancetta and bacon, but it has a higher fat-to-meat ratio (that means a lot more fat than meat). It’s said to have a richer, sweet-savory pork flavor, though I’ve never tasted it…if you have, let me know how it was.

It is pressed into a pillow shape…thus the name guanciale, which means ‘pillow’ in Italian.

This cut of meat comes from the pork's cheek and is rubbed with salt, sugar, and spices and cured until it loses about 30% of its original weight. Guanciale has an intensely strong flavor and can be used as a substitute for Pancetta or bacon.

BRESAOLA DELLA VALTELLINA

Beef

The origins of this air-dried, salted, lean and tender beef can be traced waaaay back to the Lombardian Valtellina valley and Alps.

This meat is cured for two to three months after being rubbed down in spices. When it is completely dried out, it is hard and dark-red to purple, with a sweet and musky smell. Some say it’s like a lean prosciutto, though made with beef.

Ready to taste it? Do it the way the locals do and slice it very thin, drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, and parmesan cheese shavings. Tasty sounding, isn’t it?

PANCETTA

Pork

Pancetta is a salumi made from salt-cured pork belly, sometimes spiced with sugar, fennel, pepper, or nutmeg.

One could call it an Italian bacon, as it is made from the same cut as bacon, However, unlike bacon, pancetta is not smoked, but merely cured and left to dry, usually for several months.

You will probably find it sold in thin slices or cut into small cubes. But, in its uncut state, It comes in two forms – rolled in the northern Italy style, and in its flat form of the central and southern Italy style.

Rather than being eaten by itself, it is mostly used to enhance the flavor of vegetables, meats, soups, and pastas. So it's almost always used as an ingredient in other dishes, like pasta carbonara or pasta arrabbiata.

CAPOCOLLO

Pork

Capocollo is made from pork…but not just any part of the pig. Specifically, it’s made from the dry-cured muscle running from the neck to the fourth or fifth rib of the pork shoulder or neck; this gives it a highly desirable meat-to-fat ratio.

So, it’s a whole-muscle salume.

Capocollo is dry cured, and it’s typically sliced thin, which is how you find it when it is pre-packaged at your local supermarket.

It is also known as coppa, capicola, or the slang ‘gabagool’.

It might be seasoned with red wine and it can have a spiciness because it is rubbed down with paprika during the curing process, which lasts about 75 days.

So, there you have the cured meats of Italy. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week, where we will take up sausage/salami…and of course, that promised fat/lard…makes your mouth water, doesn’t it?

Ciao for now,

Steve

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