Coppa de Corse

Appearance & taste

The coppa is cylindrical, 25 to 35 cm long, and weighs 0.8 to 2.2 kg when dried. It is encased in pork intestine or pork caul and tied with string or held in a net. The cut surface has an oily sheen and shows marbled muscle of an even red to deep red colour with white to pink fat. The ratio of fatty tissue to muscle is 30 to 50 %.

The coppa is firm and at the same time tender. When sliced, it shows fruity aromas in scent and taste, such as hazelnut, mushrooms or wood, and a typical salty savouriness, sometimes with a peppery note. A light smoky aroma or a buttery note are also possible. The salt content is 6.5 to 10 %. It is sold as a whole piece or vacuum-packed in slices or portions of 200 g or more. Only coppa from pigs that were fed exclusively on chestnuts and/or acorns during finishing may carry the statement “100 % châtaignes/glands” or similar.

Production

After weaning, the Nustrale pigs are kept outdoors and driven through woods and pastures, where they find part of their feed themselves, such as grasses, roots and tubers; they are also given supplementary feed made mainly of cereals. Finishing lasts at least 45 days between October and March. During this time the animals eat only acorns and chestnuts, which they forage for themselves in oak and chestnut woods for at least the first 30 days; after that a limited amount of barley is allowed. They are slaughtered at 12 to 36 months and 85 to 140 kg.

For each coppa, the neck is cut off at the level of the fifth rib; each pig yields two pieces of 1.3 to 3.3 kg. Freezing is not allowed. Salting, drying and maturing together take at least five months, maturing alone more than two months, under natural conditions in the cellar at ambient temperature. The only ingredients are salt and pepper or chilli; it is preserved with sea salt alone. For drying, the heat of a fire of wood from native deciduous trees is used.

Trimming, slicing and packing also take place in Corsica. It is sliced by hand with a knife so that the meat does not warm up. Slices and portions are vacuum-packed immediately, because without further preservatives the meat otherwise turns black and the fat easily goes rancid in the air; a piece that has been cut into must be fully packed within 12 hours.

Origin & history

The area covers almost all of Corsica; only the coastal strip is excluded. Granite and rugged mountains dominate the west of the island, schist and gentler heights the north-east. The Mediterranean climate is strongly differentiated by the island setting, altitude zones and topography, so that even neighbouring slopes can differ markedly. Cork oaks, holm oaks and maquis grow at the lower levels, above them the sweet chestnut; chestnut and oak woods are typical of the whole island.

According to the specification, Corsican meat products and charcuterie have a long tradition and, for generations, were one of the islanders’ most important sources of protein alongside dairy products. The way the pigs are kept goes back to an old herding tradition in which the herds were driven through woods and pastures or to summer pastures in the mountains. The Nustrale belongs to the Iberian pig type and is adapted to this kind of husbandry. Because there were no refrigeration facilities until the end of the 19th century, salting and drying became established; slaughter and processing still depend on the season today. Coppa is eaten from April until November at the latest, above all in summer and mostly as a starter.