Pancetta de l'Ile de Beauté

Appearance & taste

The pancetta has the shape of a rectangular block with rind, 40 to 70 cm long, 15 to 30 cm wide and weighing 2.5 to 5 kg. Its cross-section is almost rectangular and shows several alternating layers of muscle and fat. Smoking makes it amber, brown to golden on the outside, though not necessarily evenly. It may have a natural whitish or green to ash-grey coating. Inside, the colour ranges from burgundy red in the lean part to white in the fatty part.

It first smells strongly of smoke and pepper, then of dry, matured meat. The layers make it soft and firm at the same time. Salt, meat and fat are balanced, joined by a very pronounced pepper note and a long-lasting smoky flavour that does not mask the other aromas. It is sold whole, in portions of 100 to 500 g or in slices, the latter also without rind; portions and slices are packed.

Production

The pigs weigh at least 75 kg when slaughtered; their fattening feed contains less than 1.9 % linoleic acid. The fat must be white and firm, the meat pink to red. The boned pork belly with rind, cut into a rectangular block, is processed fresh or deep-frozen and weighs at most 6 kg.

All steps from curing to drying take place in Corsica. The belly is dry-cured and stays in the curing tub for a set time depending on its weight. It is seasoned with plenty of black pepper, according to the specification 5 to 15 g per kilogram for whole pieces. It is smoked with the wood of native broadleaved trees such as oak, chestnut, beech, strawberry tree and heather; according to the specification, this “gentle” smoking gives a finer aroma than softwood. Finally the pancetta dries in the drying room with outside air fed in, developing its flavour.

Origin & history

Corsica is a mountainous Mediterranean island with hot, dry summers and mild, damp winters. At night the cool “a tramuntana” blows, and during the day the drying “u maestrale”. Almost half of the island is wooded, mainly with holm oaks, cork oaks, chestnuts and beeches, along with extensive maquis.

According to the specification, the dry, windy climate favoured dry-curing, unlike the cooked charcuterie of northern France. Because it is hot on the island for much of the year, plenty of black pepper was used, originally to keep insects away; today it is one of the main characteristics of the pancetta. Smoking with broadleaved wood used to be closely linked to the chestnut economy and, according to the specification, is a peculiarity in the Mediterranean region. The pancetta is traditionally eaten a medium length of time after slaughter; the island’s isolation has favoured the passing down of knowledge over generations.