Kraška panceta

Appearance & taste

Kraška panceta has a characteristic rectangular shape and weighs at least 2.2 kg when finished. The meat parts are dry and firm and give elastically under pressure; the rib beds are visible. The rind is firm and smooth and is only removed shortly before eating.

During ripening the meat parts turn a bright red, and the fat is creamy white. The cut surface shows mainly meat with narrow layers of fat in between. Thinly sliced, the slices are tender, and muscle meat and fat are well bound together. The aroma is full and harmonious, the taste sweet and only slightly salty. The bacon contains at most 6 % salt, at least 15 % protein and at least 36 % fat.

It is sold as a whole or half side with a brand on the rind, or cut into smaller pieces of uniform size. Slicing and packaging are only allowed in registered production plants, so that contact with air does not spoil the colour through oxidation. Every form of sale bears the logo, a stylised streaky side of bacon, with the producer’s registration number.

Production

Bacon from meat pig breeds is used: the area of the rib cage with at least nine visible rib beds and the fleshy part of the belly. The fresh side weighs at least 4 kg and is cut into a rectangle 45 to 55 cm long and 18 to 24 cm wide. The ribs are removed and the rind stays; the soft fat on the inside is cut off. Meat and rind must be undamaged.

Salting is done exclusively dry with sea salt, in moderate quantities. Drying and ripening take place without heat treatment at below 18 °C, so that the protein is not altered by heat and the fat stays firm. At the end the bacon has lost at least 33 % of its weight, and the aw value is at most 0.92. Selection of the raw materials, salting, and drying and ripening take place in the production area.

Origin & history

The Karst is an undulating limestone plateau with dolines, depressions, fissures and caves. On the calcareous ground the Karst red soil (terra rossa) has formed; rocky areas predominate. Here the mild Mediterranean climate meets cold continental air that breaks in as the bora. The rugged surface and the nearness of the sea ensure constant wind and rather low humidity, so good conditions for drying meat.

The farmers stored hams, belly bacon, pork necks and sausages in turn in different rooms of their solidly built Karst houses, to find the right humidity and temperature for each phase of ripening. According to the specification, written records of drying bacon go back to 1689. Unlike other parts of Slovenia, where brine is mostly used, the people of the Karst salt only dry. Since 1977 the bacon has been made in technically well-equipped plants; in 1978 it was already presented in a leaflet.