Bassa Parmense and Langhirano: a unique cold cut myth.

There is a place in Italy where the tradition of cured meats has become mythological. In particular, this concerns the cured meats produced with unique cuts of pork and not minced. We are talking about the Bassa Parmense and the hills of Langhirano. The former is a stretch of several kilometers of the Po Valley to the north of the city of Parma, which includes, among others, the municipalities of Zibello, Soragna, Colorno, Roccabianca, Busseto, and Fontanellato. Further south, towards the hills and the first slopes of the Apennines, lies the area of Langhirano, Neviano, Traversetolo, and Collecchio. These are the municipalities of Prosciutto di Parma DOP, one of the most important areas in the entire Food Valley, as the region encompassing the cities of Parma, Modena, and Reggio Emilia has been defined.

The Bassa Parmense is famous for the Culatello di Zibello DOP, a flat area where humidity stagnates, facilitating the maturation of pork legs for the aging of culatelli. Perhaps the most expensive cured meats in the world.

The area further south is instead dedicated to Prosciutti di Parma DOP and ancient Parmense cured meats such as culatte, capocolli, and all other forms of refined and aged meat typical of the region. In this case, what distinguishes the area is its continuous ventilation and temperature fluctuations that aid in the drying of hanging cured meats.

The Salumificio Del Sante is located right in Neviano degli Arduini, a mythical place that represents the heart of the production of fine prosciutti and culatte. The Del Sante family revives some ancient cured meats such as aged throat, culattina with rind, and fiocco, using the traditional technique: pigs weighing more than 160kg, a natural aging cellar, the elimination of additives and preservatives, and long aging.

The Culatello di Zibello DOP is instead selected by Colombo from the namesake restaurant in Polesine Parmense. A sumptuous cured meat that captivates with extraordinary pleasure even the most refined palates.

A little trip among the Prosciutti di Parma DOP, the Culatelli di Zibello DOP, culatte, capocolli, and gole is definitely worth doing, especially in this summer period when the fresh and fragrant cured meat can accompany us in delicious appetizers and lounge time with friends, perhaps by the pool or even by the sea.

Bernardo Pasquali

S&M