Culatello

Culatello di Zibello PDO is a cured meat that originates in the province of Parma, along the Po River, an area with a cold-humid climate in winter and a hot climate in summer, a crucial factor for its aging.

The “birth” of culatello is to be closely linked to the establishment of the fiefdom of the Pallavicino family, who ruled the territories of Busseto, Zibello and Polesine from 1249 until the Napoleonic era, for more than half a millennium, and who favored agriculture and pig breeding.

The origin of Culatello di Zibello DOP is probably linked to the farming culture of the Parma area. The first official mention is found in a document of the City of Parma and dates back to 1735: the “Calmiero della carne porcina salata” in the 19th century would later be variously cited by authors such as Gabriele D’Annunzio, and beloved by composer Giuseppe Verdi.

Coming to its production, the meat used to make culatello is pork. In particular, the bundles of hind crural muscles and the insides of the thighs are used