Capocollo
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Capicola, or coppa, is a traditional Neapolitan Italian cold cut (salume) made from pork shoulder or neck and dry-cured whole. The name coppa is Italian for nape, while capicola comes from capo—head and collo—neck of a pig. The Neapolitan Italian spelling, "'Capocollo'", is dervied from Latin, "caput collum". It is similar to the more widely known cured ham, Prosciutto, though the two are quite distinct. In fact, Capicola is often incorrectly referred to as a type of ham, likely because they are both pork derived cold-cuts that are used in similar dishes. However, the technical definition of ham is the thigh and buttocks of a pig (or boar) slaughtered for meat, whereas Capicola is solely meat from the shoulder or neck.
Manufacture and use
In its production, Capicola is first lightly seasoned, often with red and sometimes white wine, garlic, and a variety of herbs and spices which differ depending on region. The meat is then salted (and was traditionally massaged) and stuffed into a natural casing and hung for up to six months to cure. Differences in flavor can also depend on what type of wood is used for smoking as well as what breed of pig is selected. It is essentially the pork counterpart of the air dried, cured beef bresaola, and is a typical dish of the city of Piacenza. It's also popular in Switzerland near the borders with Italy and on the French island of Corsica. There is also a less common version which is cooked, called coppa cotta (cup cooked).
Capicola is esteemed for its delicate flavor and tender, fatty texture, and is often more expensive than most other salumi. In the United States (US), it is almost exclusively sold as a gourmet food item. It is usually sliced thin for use in antipasto or sandwiches such as muffulettas and hoagies (Italian subs), as well as some traditional Italian pizzas.<br\>
Popularity and official status
In the past, Capicola was not a well known food item in most parts of the US outside of areas heavily populated by Italian-Americans. However, awareness of this delectable Italian curred meat has increased greatly in recent years, due largely to frequent mention on the enormously popular and Emmy Award and Golden Globe award winning HBO television series, The Sopranos, as the main character, Tony Soprano's favorite cold cut. It was also briefly mentioned in the Academy Award winning film, The Godfather, widely considered one of the greatest films of all time. In both appearances it was pronounced with a heavy Italian-American accent as "gabagool" (from Napolitan dialect), similar to the way Ricotta is pronounced "rigot" and Manicotti, "manigot" by many Italian-Americans.<br\>[citation needed]
Two particular varieties, Coppa Piacentina and Capocollo di Calabria, have Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status under the Common Agricultural Policy of European Union law, which ensures that only products genuinely originating in those regions are allowed in commerce as such.
The official ingredients for Capicola listed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2005 are:
- Boneless pork shoulder butts which are cured and then cooked. The cool curing process may be dry curing, immersion curing, or pump curing. The cured product is coated with spices and paprika before cooking. This product shall always be labeled with "Cooked" as part of the product name. Water added is permitted.[1]
See also
External links
- European Commission PDO page for Capocollo di Calabria
- European Commission PDO page for Coppa Piacentina
References
- ^ "Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book" (PDF). USDA. 2005.
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