Coppa di Parma

Appearance & taste

The Coppa is cylindrical and not flattened, 25 to 40 cm long and weighs at least 1.3 kg. The casing comes off easily and the surface is not greasy. The slices are uniformly coloured and free of spots: the lean meat red, the fat rather pink. Yellow or soft fat and mould inside would be signs of poor ripening and are not permitted.

It has a typical savoury flavour, with no off-flavours, and medium firmness. Its aroma is tested by inserting a horse bone into the fat near the main vein. According to the specification, it differs from similar products of neighbouring regions in its soft slices and few aromatic herbs: because of the short ripening, it keeps the aroma and flavour of pork. Because of this softness it is also used in savoury cakes and stuffed pizza.

It is sold whole with a label or in pieces and slices, vacuum-packed or in a protective atmosphere. Slicing and packaging take place only in the production area; a whole Coppa may only be cut at the counter in front of the customer. The slices should be exposed to the air as briefly as possible, otherwise they turn brown.

Production

The meat comes from heavy pigs of the Large White Italiana, Landrace Italiana and Duroc Italiana breeds or from crosses bred for heavy pig production. They are at least nine months old; the carcass weighs 110.1 to 190 kg. They are fed mainly on cereals and by-products of cheesemaking, in liquid form, traditionally with whey, or dry. Cereals make up at least 45 % of the dry matter in the first fattening phase and at least 55 % in the final fattening phase. The muscle along the neck at the cervical and part of the thoracic vertebrae is used; frozen meat is prohibited.

The neck is salted by hand or by machine and cured for 6 to 14 days, then stuffed into a natural casing and tied with string; for slicing, a composite natural casing and a net of elastic strings are also permitted. This is followed by 8 to 10 hours of pre-drying, at least 15 days of drying and, depending on weight, 60 to 90 days of ripening. Besides salt, natural flavourings, pepper and spices go in; wine, sugar, starter cultures, nitrite, nitrate and ascorbic acid are also permitted.

Origin & history

The area stretches from the hills to the plain and up to the northern bank of the Po. In the hills of Parma, salt from Salsomaggiore has always been used. According to the specification, partly because of these salt mines, pork has been cured here since the 14th century; the recipe for Coppa spread from Parma to the neighbouring provinces.

The first references to Coppa, also called “Biondola” or “Salame investito”, date from the end of the 17th century; at the beginning of the 18th century, travel accounts name it as a typical product. According to an inventory of 1723, admission to the guild of sausage makers (“Lardaroli”) required possession of a certain number of salami and “Biondole”. A guild valuation of 1750 and a notice of 21 April 1764 also mention it; supply contracts for the royal kitchens date from the same period, and consumption was recorded at the court of Duke Don Ferdinando Borbone. Figures for the markets around Parma exist from the 19th century, and in 1940 about 200 Coppe were exported from the province. Artisanal production became industrial without the characteristics of the Coppa changing.