Lardo

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Lardo from Colonnata
Marble trough for inserting the lardo

Lardo is a particularly mature, fatty bacon in Italian cuisine . The best-known varieties come from the Aosta Valley and Colonnata in Tuscany .

Lardo from Colonnata is a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) - in Italian Indicazione geografica protetta (IGP). Original Lardo from Colonnata can be recognized by a plastic label with a barcode.

Back fat from country pigs is used for lardo and only the firm, upper part directly under the rind is used. Since country pigs are much heavier and richer in fat than conventional fattening pigs, this part of the back fat is about five centimeters thick.

The production of lardo varies from region to region, but usually the bacon is cut into large, square pieces, rubbed with salt and seasoned with spices such as bay leaf , pepper , sage , juniper , nutmeg and garlic , layered and weighed down, then it matures for three to six months in troughs made from special types of Carrara marble . In Colonnata only a large crystalline type of marble is used for the stone troughs . The containers are covered with marble slabs during the ripening process. Good lardo is white or slightly rosy in color, has a delicate odor, slightly salty and somewhat sweet with a taste reminiscent of walnuts . The consistency should be firm and at the same time gently melting. Yellowish colored lardo is stored incorrectly and tastes rancid.

Bacon prepared in this way has been known since ancient times, but has been somewhat forgotten in recent decades and has recently been rediscovered in Italy and Germany in delicatessen shops. It used to be the food of the quarry workers who needed high calorie food for their hard work. Lardo is eaten pure as a starter , serves as a topping on bread or, partly fried, as a spicy ingredient for pasta dishes such as spaghetti alla gricia , polenta , soups and salads .

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