For centuries, it has been a prized and delicious product that only gentlemen could afford.
Le the first news begins to be had around 1300, when the Pallavicinos, who at the time reigned in the Po Valley, each year sent a few examples of a precious sausage, which was produced in the area, to the Sforzas of Milan. AND in 1332 a delicious cured meat called Culatello was served at the wedding banquet on the occasion of the marriage between Andrea dei conti Rossi and Giovanna dei conti Sanvitale. And what about Giuseppe Verdi who took it with him to St. Petersburg in 1862 to celebrate the success of La Forza del Destino?
Slow Food Presidium the king of cold cuts has very ancient origins, it was already served at the table of nobles in the 1300s
In more recent times Culatello di Zibello DOP has found convinced admirers of its quality among writers, journalists and artists starting with Gabriele d'Annunzio, who in a letter to his friend Renato Brozzi, a sculptor from Parma, wrote: «I am a very avid lover of Culatello from Parma (with a T or with two?). Exhausted by the industrious melancholy, I just felt the pangs of hunger [...]. While I shouted, not without ferocity: "Immediately, immediately, immediately three slices of culat(t)ello!" The woman appeared with your precious parcels. The largest was the conical shape of the firm, salty red fiber thing. O Brother, the hallucination of hunger has wrung from me a cry of gratitude and happiness: “Brozzi! A Culatello! And how did you think about it?"
For its extraordinary flavor it was loved by D'Annunzio, Bacchelli and Zavattini
And they still need to be mentioned in the large group of admirers, Riccardo Bacchelli and Cesare Zavattini (who writes in Gastronomic phone call: «Do you know, I have sometimes dreamed of Culatello and real Prosciutto. I went in a dream, it is true, to eat at Sacca di Colorno. I can't say, however, if it was a dream or reality, I ate well anyway".
Considered a masterpiece of Italian butchery, it is no coincidence that it is nicknamed the King of cured meats, cataloged among the Slow Food Presidia of Emilia-Romagna, Culatello di Zibello has earned a place of honor among the Italian excellences in the food field thanks to its intense, nuanced and inimitable flavor, the result of a craftsmanship that still takes place largely by hand. The secret of its quality must be found in the peculiar exclusivity of the processing and in the particular climate of its area of origin: the alternation between long humid and foggy periods, and other torrid and muggy, it is the determining factor for the right maturation and the optimal seasoning of the product.
From a nutritional point of view it is an excellent source of iron, phosphorus and potassium, and vitamins of group B, P1
From a nutritional point of view, Culatello di Zibello DOP has a moderate caloric intake: 100 grams in fact contain about 290 kcal. It also has many valuable nutrients. First, his intake of high biological value proteins is considerable. The product is also an excellent source of iron, phosphorus and potassium, and also boasts a high concentration of B vitamins, P1 and PP.
Producing Culatello di Zibello DOP is a real art rooted in the territory of ancient tradition. Every single phase of the production process is regulated by precise regulations that refer to a strict Regulation. In many respects, the processing method is unique: unchanged over time, it has been handed down for centuries and generations, in a perfect union between ancient art and passion.
A fame that shows no signs of diminishing, on the contrary it consolidates over time. The sector of Culatello di Zibello DOP, which brings together 23 producers, for about 250 employees between direct employees and related workers, in fact, it is confirmed to be in excellent health: according to the data released by the Consortium for the Protection in 2022, the Culatelli di Zibello sent for the protected production that certifies the DOP numbered 102.591, with an increase of 5,87% compared to the previous year for a consumer turnover which amounts to 25,2 million euros.
“The Culatello di Zibello DOP – declares with satisfaction Romeo Gualerzi, President of the Protection Consortium – continues in its affirmation of product of excellence thanks to the appreciations and
successes that it collects from the market while confirming itself as a niche product. In 2022 we register a
growth in value that is close to 6%: excellent performance of pre-sliced products which has allowed us a
greater product penetration in retail chains”.
The data released by the Culatello di Zibello PDO Protection Consortium certify that, in 2022, the Culatelli
40.171 were destined for slicing, equal to 41,5% of the annual production. Only ten
years ago, in 2013, this percentage stood at 5,6%. On consumption, in 2022, the pre-sliced segment accounts for a value of 10,8 million euros. Last year, 1,27 million trays of Culatello were placed on the market.
In 2022, PDO production increased by 5,87% for a consumer turnover of 25,2 million euros.
The main marketing channel of Culatello di Zibello PDO is confirmed as the normal trade, with a share of 60% of the sector. Large-scale retail trade represents the remaining 40%. The export share stands at 25% of the total market. The countries of the EU area (primarily France and Germany), together with Switzerland, represent 88% of Culatello di Zibello DOP exports. North America follows, with Canada and the United States, Japan, the Far East and the United Kingdom.
Il the production area of Culatello di Zibello DOP is that of the Bassa Parmense, that strip of land lying along the banks of the river Po. Often enveloped in the typical fog,
this territory embodies the history of a land, the traditions of its people and the
characteristics of a very particular climate, characterized by long, cold, humid winters
foggy, and torrid, hot and muggy summers. This climatic alternation is the crucial element
which favors the slow maturation of Culatello di Zibello DOP, a period during which
develop the unmistakable aromas and flavors that characterize it.
The authentic Culatello di Zibello DOP has always been produced exclusively in seven
localities in the province of Parma: Busseto, Colorno, Polesine Zibello, Roccabianca, San
Second, Sissa Trecasali and Soragna.
From the thigh of the adult pig, deprived of bone and rind, the "flake" is separated, so as to
keep the most noble and valuable part. The cut obtained is sprinkled with salt and vigorously massaged by hand to allow uniform and homogeneous absorption. Once an adequate period of rest has elapsed, the cured meat is stuffed into a natural casing, usually a pig's bladder. Pepper (whole or chopped) and garlic are also present in the salting mixture. Furthermore, dry white wine can be used. Once stuffed, the Culatello di Zibello DOP is tightly tied by hand with a natural rope so as not to leave air pockets.
The seasoning is a long and delicate time. It takes place in damp and well-ventilated cellars, it must allow a working process of at least 10 months, but it can last even longer. In fact, the humidity in the air favors the slow formation of noble moulds, a fundamental element for obtaining a soft and fragrant cured meat. The aging of Culatello di Zibello DOP also continues in the summer, when the heat and muggy weather, typical of the area of origin, further enrich it with flavor and aroma. Once this phase is completed, we proceed with the final checks.
