Coppa Piacentina

Appearance & taste

Coppa Piacentina is made from the muscle of the upper neck. It has a cylindrical shape that tapers slightly at the ends and a compact, non-elastic consistency. During ripening a thin layer of mould forms on the surface. When cut, the meat is uniformly red, with white-pink flecks in the marbled parts. The taste is mild and delicate and becomes stronger as ripening progresses.

Slicing, portioning and packaging take place only in the production area. According to the specification, without a protective covering the cut surface and slices turn brown through contact with air, the lean meat loses its red colour and the fat becomes rancid. The label shows the name clearly set apart, followed by “Denominazione di Origine Protetta” or “DOP” and the EU logo.

Production

The meat comes from heavy pigs that are born, reared, slaughtered and cut up in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy. They are descendants of the breeds Large White Italiana, Landrace Italiana and Duroc Italiana or of crosses bred with these breeds for the production of heavy pigs. At slaughter the animals are at least nine months old and their carcasses weigh 110.1 to 180 kg. Meat from boars and sows is excluded. At least half of the dry matter the pigs eat in a year comes from the rearing area. Cereals make up at least 45 % of the ration in the first fattening phase and at least 55 % in the final fattening phase; whey, curd and buttermilk come mostly from dairies in the area.

The processors trim the pieces of meat: they remove remaining fat and thin lean layers so that the piece takes on its typical shape, tapered at the ends. It is then dry-salted, tied, dried and ripened. All these steps take place in the province of Piacenza.

Origin & history

According to the specification, production goes back to Roman times and over time has become concentrated in the province of Piacenza. It is part of a rural culture across the whole Po valley, in which pig farming is closely linked to cereal growing and cheesemaking. The producers in Piacenza have developed and passed on their own skills in trimming, salting and ripening. According to the specification, the cool valleys rich in water and the wooded hills of the province favour the conditions in the ripening rooms.