Pancetta di Calabria

The Italian word pancetta or pancia literally translates to 'belly' which means Pancetta di Calabria is actually a dry cured pork belly, a variety of unsmoked bacon. Fresh meat cuts come from pigs born and raised exclusively in this Italian region, and pancetta is made by processing 3 to 5 centimeters thick rectangular slabs of bacon with skin, weighing between 3 to 6 kilos.

After being salted for about 4 to 14 days, it is washed and soaked in red wine vinegar, coated with pepperoncino Calabrese chili powder and lastly left to mature for at least 30 days. Pancetta di Calabria is traditionally eaten with warm sourdough breads, accompanied by full-bodied red wines.