That is because "speck" in Italy means a different thing, namely basically just one variety produced more or less uniformly in South Tyrol/Alto Adige. Look for "lardo" instead. Try lardo di Arnad or lardo di Colonnata.
Victor
Try and stop me! Once a year I have crostini with lardo di colonnata. I've had visiting friends go white at the idea when it arrives at table, and the name is truly unfortunate for English speakers. But what heavenly stuff!
Speck here just seems to be a smoked version of prosciutto.
"Curly Sue" <[email hidden]> ha scritto nel messaggio news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Blair P. Houghton said:
Victor Sack said:
If you can find it, also try Hungarian paprika speck (lardo, in Italian terms).
Salt pork?
Lardo looks a bit smoother than salt pork (w/o the meat streak) and lard, but comes from a different location in the animal.
A couple of years ago I trekked over to Mario Batali's Otto to try the lardo pizza. It was alright but that's probably enough lardo for my lifetime. 🙂
I agree . Pizza with lardo it's a bomb of calories! We should eat a simple pizza Margherita. But we always eat the stranger pizzas they could invent: with the impossible and unhealthy ingredients. I wonder how could be a lardo pizza. I wonder if there is on it only lardo or also other things, such as: mozzarella, fontina, or other cheese. In this case it would be good (perhaps) but a little fat for my taste. But on the contrary, a pizza with the only lard on it would be untasty IMO.
If you can find it, also try Hungarian paprika speck (lardo, in Italian terms).
Salt pork?
Different thing. Salt pork is made with pork belly. Lard is almost pure fat from the back. The method of preparation and the taste sensation is very different. Here is how lardo di Colonnata is made. It is, in a sense, a by-product of extraction of marble from the quarries of Carrara. Marble tubs/troughs are rubbed with garlic, then layered with fat, each layer covered with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, rosemary, salt, juniper berries, and other aromatic herbs. A small slab of bacon is included in the top layer of salt, to help start the pickling process. Traditionally, the tubs were topped with marble slabs, but now wooden lids are often used instead. The pickling process lasts a minimum of six months. The marble is porous, letting in the air, and contains calcium carbonate which plays a part in the curing process, creating a weak alkalic environment which prevents the development of the soap-like off-taste on the surface of the fat.
"Giusi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Blair P. Houghton wrote: > Victor Sack <[email hidden]> wrote: >> If you can find it, also try Hungarian paprika speck (lardo, in Italian >> terms). > Salt pork? > > --Blair No way!
When I saw this header, I thought someone was calling names. 🙂
Might also be what Starsky and Hutch got renamed in some foreign market reruns. 🙂
You sneer, but they are still on in Italy. I say "Old TV shows never die, they just get dubbed and play on in Italy."
If you can find it, also try Hungarian paprika speck (lardo, in Italian terms).
Salt pork?
Different thing. Salt pork is made with pork belly. Lard is almost pure fat from the back. The method of preparation and the taste sensation is very different. Here is how lardo di Colonnata is made. It is, in a sense, a by-product of extraction of marble from the quarries of Carrara. Marble tubs/troughs are rubbed with garlic, then layered with fat, each layer covered with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, rosemary, salt, juniper berries, and other aromatic herbs. A small slab of bacon is included in the top layer of salt, to help start the pickling process. Traditionally, the tubs were topped with marble slabs, but now wooden lids are often used instead. The pickling process lasts a minimum of six months. The marble is porous, letting in the air, and contains calcium carbonate which plays a part in the curing process, creating a weak alkalic environment which prevents the development of the soap-like off-taste on the surface of the fat.
Victor
Frankly, Victor, although accurate as usual, this doesn't make it sound really delicious! Which it is.
