/ Our magazine / Capocollo according to Mediterranean cooking traditions.
/ Our magazine / Capocollo according to Mediterranean cooking traditions.
The capocollo in domestic economy has always been considered one of the most precious pieces of meat derived from pig slaughtering, right after ham and shoulder, which were often sold out of necessity. Capocollo was often the most precious food consumed at home and frequently used for workers' breakfasts during the harvest and grape picking.
Capocollo is a typical salume from Campania, Puglia, and Calabria: it consists of a single whole cut of meat, the neck of the pig (the part between the head and the loin), which is salted and flavored with spices and paprika, stuffed in natural casing, pricked with two bamboo sticks, smoked, and aged slowly for several months.
The difference between coppa and capocollo lies in their origin, and partly in the processing of the meat. In fact, coppa, capocollo, and lonza are very similar and often confused because they come from a specific part of the pig: the shoulder, which justifies their names.
The lonza is the cut obtained from the muscle of the carrè, which means the back area of the pig running from the fourth rib to the tail; the lonza is part of the carrè and, specifically, it is a bundle of meat located above the fillet.
The capocollo comes from the neck of the pig, the area between the pig's head and the carrè from which the lonza is also derived. Unlike the latter, capocollo is made from tender meat that requires a much longer cooking time. It is precisely the amount of fat present in this cut of meat that makes it unique; the meat remains soft, tender, and particularly flavorful. Capocollo meat usually melts in your mouth and offers a flavor much more akin to red meat than that of coppa or lonza.
When speaking of salumi, one usually thinks of products from Northern or Central Italy, but capocollo is a typical product of the southern regions of Italy.
The tradition of consuming cured meats, particularly those from pigs, has a long history that begins with Roman civilization and continues to our days. It may sound absurd, but even today, every single cut of meat is chosen and processed by hand under the watchful eye of the producer, who daily monitors the aging process of all pieces.
From North to South, the tradition of Capocollo captivates and unites all of Italy; in every region, it is known by different names and reinterpreted territorially with different peculiarities.
The coppa, also known as capocollo or in its orthographic variant capicollo, is the typical name this cured meat takes in Campania, Molise, Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria; it becomes ossocollo in Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia; finocchiata in Siena; capocollo or corpolongo in upper Lazio and Umbria; lonza in Lazio; lonzino in Marche and Abruzzo; scamerita or scalmarita in upper Umbria bordering Romagna; and finally capicollu in Corsica.
The processing phase of the meat also differs from region to region; the methods change, giving this food very particular characteristics that make it a pride of local culinary traditions.
In Puglia, for instance, capocollo is first covered with salt, where it remains for about two weeks, then it is washed with a mixture of cooked wine and spices; once stuffed into pig casing, after a little resting, it undergoes a light smoking. In Umbria, it is flavored with pepper, garlic, coriander, and fennel seeds; thus, after stuffing, it starts an aging process that can vary from four months to a year. In Basilicata, however, capocollo is sprinkled with chopped chili pepper, after being seasoned with salt and pepper. The Capocollo from Calabria DOP is instead processed and spiced with whole black pepper or with the typical local spicy chili pepper, while the massage is done with wine vinegar; then the aging process follows for 100 days.
The capocollo from Martina Franca is the most renowned capocollo among the regional culinary specialties. It is a cured meat with a unique flavor that stands out for its delicate aroma, for the saltiness, and sweetness of the meats; it is produced exclusively in the areas between Martina Franca, Locorotondo, and Cisternino in Puglia.
The exclusive use of local pigs, the slow marinating, and the aroma from smoking it with the bark of the Fragno, an oak typical of the Itria Valley, make it unique in the world.
Only in Val D’Itria can this extraordinary cured meat be produced, which is also much loved outside the region; the climate, altitude, and temperatures are truly unique and unrepeatable. A small Puglian paradise, where the climate is dry and sunny like the rest of the region, but made cooler by the presence of extensive wooded areas, with oaks, pines, and centuries-old trees that keep the air fragrant and refreshing even in the height of summer. It is here that, thanks to the skill of local producers, a unique and unrepeatable product is born.
Why is the capocollo from Martina Franca different from others? What makes it so special? The answer lies in a tree: the Fragno. This oak, the most widespread in the Itria Valley area, is used to smoke capocollo and is burned together with almond husk, another important plant for the Puglian culinary culture. The smoking is light, the aroma is intense, and the taste is unique.
Color, smell, and consistency of capocollo are three characteristics useful for choosing the finest capocollo.
Capocollo features an outer layer of fat of 3-4 mm that keeps it soft during the aging process and enhances its organoleptic characteristics.
The salting lasts from four to eight days; black peppercorns are added to the meat, which is then wrapped in the pig's parietal diaphragm. Finally, the traditional binding is done, wrapping it with natural twine and perforating the casing. Subsequently, capocollo is hung up to drain in well-ventilated rooms where relative humidity and temperature are carefully monitored. The ripening occurs in no less than one hundred days from the date of salting.
Capocollo is characterized by a balanced flavor, guaranteed by the perfect mix between the delicate taste of its meat and the aroma of spices. These important characteristics make it a unique and versatile product, able to pair perfectly with various foods, capable of satisfying the most discerning palates.
Visually, it appears as a hearty salume, whose specific color varies from pink to brown-red, depending on the degree of maturation; inside, the typical white streaks, more or less thin, crisscrossing the meat, give it the right degree of tenderness.
The taste perception is of a “round” almost velvety flavor, which accompanied by the pleasant scent of spices, gives the salume a generous and remarkable structure.
An excellent, easy, quick, and tasty idea are the “raw” pairings you can create with this fantastic salume.
A traditional yet very tasty appetizer suitable for all occasions is the typical platter of cured meats and cheeses. To bring the typical flavor of Calabria to your table, we recommend a platter with capocollo, soppressata, pancetta, and Calabrian salsiccia, accompanied by some aged cheeses and wonderful pear and fig jams. You can enrich everything with some good Altamura bread, wine vinegar onions, candied artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes.
You can also test your creativity by making fresh rolls. Take a few slices of capocollo, stuff them with a Puglian dairy product, such as stracciatella or a bit of burrata, add a confit tomato, and wrap everything as if it were a small roll. Arrange your creations in a wheel on a flat plate and place a few leccine olives in the center. Et voilà, the “made in Puglia” appetizer is ready!
For those who love baked goods, we recommend using capocollo as a tasty filling for your favorite rustic snacks (sandwiches, focacce, and savory pies); you can pair it with wild vegetables like chicory and Swiss chard.
Capocollo is also an excellent topping for your gourmet pizza. We suggest filling it with tomato, stracciatella, and capocollo.
For tasty aperitifs featuring capocollo, we recommend pairing it with a good glass of full-bodied red wine, such as Cirò DOC or the famous Primitivo of Manduria DOC.
This salume with a unique and unmistakable flavor is also well suited to star in delicious first courses like risotto with capocollo and porcini or with capocollo and gorgonzola, but can also be used as a filling for excellent ravioli or stuffed pasta.
A delicious second course that we recommend is the saltimbocca alla pugliese; all you need to do is replace the cured ham with a few slices of capocollo.
Lastly, we propose a recipe that comes directly from Umbria: the braised capocollo. The meat is marinated for hours with red wine, herbs, and spices, giving the preparation a rich and flavorful taste.
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