CAPOCOLLO

Capocollo is a seasoned, cured, and thinly-sliced cold cut of pork taken from the neck or shoulder.

Historical records demonstrate that capocollo has been in production since the early 1800s, but its first origins may go back to somewhere between the 8th and 5th century BC.

According to Italian food author Mario Matassa, the production process involves a seasoning/marinating, curing, and drying process:

• First, the producers season the pork meat in a ‘marinating tub’ with (usually red) wine, spices, and herbs. These herbs and spices tend to differ from region to region, but black pepper and paprika are common.

• Following this, all sides of the meat are rubbed with salt.

• After salting the meat, it is put into sausage casings and left to cure for approximately three to six months.

• Once the capocollo is ready, it is usually cut into thin slices before being packaged for sale.

While the production process is similar to prosciutto, capocollo is from a different cut of meat, and it contains seasonings in addition to just salt.