What is Culatello?
Culatello is a pork sausage that is bagged but not ground. It is a highly prized salted meat, typical of the lower Parma area, in particular in the area between Zibello and Langhirano (strip located on the bank of the Po river); here, the particular microclimate and traditional craftsmanship guarantee a quality and typicality that are difficult to reproduce elsewhere.
Culatello di Zibello is a food with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).
Nutritional Characteristics
The nutritional characteristics do not vary much according to the type of culatello; this is due to the fact that, being the sizes obtained from similar animals and being produced in a single well-defined area, they undergo more or less identical processing and curing.
Due to the high sodium concentration, culatello is unsuitable for the diet of the subject suffering from hypertension; moreover, due to the significant presence of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, it seems impertinent even in the diet of hypercholesterolemics. On the other hand, comparing its contribution in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol with that of many other cured meats, culatello (as well as bresaola and defatted raw ham) is certainly one of the least contraindicated.
The energy contribution of culatello is not excessive but not even negligible, therefore it is difficult to contextualize in the low-calorie diet against overweight.
As for the presence of other mineral salts (in addition to sodium), culatello should be rich in iron; therefore, in the diet of the healthy person (and especially of the fertile woman), it represents a valid alternative to fresh meat, fresh fish and eggs, for maintaining the right levels of iron. The concentrations of phosphorus and potassium shouldn't disappoint either.
Regarding vitamins, culatello should boast good concentrations of thiamine (vit. B1) and niacin (vit. PP).
What makes culatello similar to other raw cured meats is that it is NOT suitable for the diet for the pregnant woman. In this circumstance, to safeguard the safety of the unborn child, food hygiene is nothing short of fundamental; therefore, since it is necessary to prevent both parasites and food poisoning, culatello (being raw) is generally excluded.
Culatello nutritional values
For 100gGastronomic Aspects
Culatello is a cured meat that lends itself to the filling of soft focaccia, as long as they are simple and without ingredients with a "strong" flavor. It is not uncommon for it to be accompanied by curls of butter to be placed on warm bread.
Culatello also goes perfectly with pickled vegetables (such as pickled vegetables), preferably homemade, not too acidic and with a delicate preserving liquid. Mayonnaise is recommended only if homemade.
Some prefer to veil the slices of salami with aged balsamic vinegar. Other times the culatello is accompanied by flakes of grana cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano) or robiola (more rarely in the form of fondues); in this case, it is best to sprinkle with chopped chives and aglina.
Culatello, on the other hand, is not recommended for filling wraps, tigelle or crescentine, in which it is better to prefer the fiocchetto or raw ham (less delicate and more intense).
Among the fruits suggested in combination, we remember above all figs and walnuts; some also taste culatello with melon.
More particular, however, is the seasoning of the salami with a few drops of walnut sauce and balsamic vinegar, pumpkin cooked in butter and sautéed mushrooms without garlic (pioppini, chanterelles or porcini).
An evening meal consisting of a few slices of culatello, accompanied by a pinzimonio of fresh vegetables and a "rosette" of wholemeal bread, is a good way to harmonize health, physical shape and pleasure of the palate.
Tips for the Consumption of Culatello
To consume culatello at its maximum organoleptic and gustatory potential, it is necessary to adopt some precautions.
First of all, the culatello must be kept in a dark, cool and dry place; exposures (even short ones) to excessive heat sources quickly compromise the hydration of the meat and the pleasantness of the fat. It would also be advisable to avoid places that are too cold, as these tend to flatten the flavor; however, in the absence of a cellar or basement without windows, a properly regulated refrigerator may be the most suitable solution for the preservation of the salami. Inside this compartment, in whole form, the culatello has a considerable but not very long life, due to the potential development of mold (favored by the " no ventilation).
In any case, both in the refrigerator and in the cellar, the "begun" culatello must NEVER be sealed with cling film. Instead, it is necessary to grease the living surface with extra virgin olive oil and wrap the salami inside a dry and clean linen cloth.
From a practical point of view, a culatello must be:
- Immersed for 24-48 hours in a container containing dry white wine.
- Freed from the ropes that wrap it, passed under a jet of warm water and brushed with care.
- Once softened, the culatello must be deprived of the skin, trimmed perfectly of the external fat and cut into thin slices.
Sliced, the culatello must be eaten immediately, to avoid compromising the aromas and texture.
Production
Culatello is obtained from the posterior muscle (gluteus or buttock) of the pork leg (ham). These are animals that tend to be bred using traditional methods, even if the various disciplinary regulations leave something to be desired with regard to the clarity of the place of origin rather than that of slaughter.
The culatello is then extracted, trimmed from the fat and carefully cleaned. A first binding is then applied to it, in conjunction with salting, spicing and massage. Subsequently, the culatello is stuffed into the bladder of the same pig, well sewn (to adhere to the meat) and tightened with a characteristic net binding (which gives it "the classic" pear "shape).
The maturation, which in all lasts about twelve months, includes a first moment of drying in warm and dry environments (in which the culatello must lose liquid) and a long period of maturation in damp, dark and fresh places (where the salami develops all the organoleptic and gustatory characteristics of the case).
In the maturation phase, humidity (unlike ham) is nothing short of necessary, as it prevents excessive dehydration of the meat. In this regard, culatello takes advantage of the skilful artisan intervention which, periodically, provides for the humidification of the surface by means of a cloth soaked in white wine or Cognac or malt distillate It seems that the typically continental climate (rigid winters and sultry summers) of the Po areas is one of the elements that characterize the success of culatello.
The weight of a culatello varies between three and five kilos and the cost of a certified artisan product, with regard to the particular processing method, can exceed 100 € / kg. In addition to the long curing times, culatello is in fact obtained by sacrificing the ham from which it is isolated, thus giving up a food that is already quite valuable in itself. The leftovers of the typical manufacturing process are then used in the preparation of another typical salami, the "Fiocchetto".
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