Capicola
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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 derived from Latin, "caput collum". It is similar to the more widely known cured ham, Prosciutto, 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.
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[edit] 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. There is also a less common version which is cooked, called coppa cotta.
Capicola is esteemed for its delicate flavor and tender, fatty texture, and is often more expensive than most other salumi. In many countries it is often sold as a gourmet food item. It is usually sliced thin for use in Antipasto or sandwiches such as Muffulettas, Italian subs, and Panini, as well as some traditional Italian Pizza.
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]
[edit] Popularity and official status
Capicola is a typical dish of the city of Piacenza, and is popular in Switzerland near the borders with Italy, and on the French island of Corsica. It was previously little known in the US outside of areas heavily populated by Italian-Americans, however, awareness has increased due largely to frequent mention on the popular television series, The Sopranos. It was also mentioned in the classic film adaptation of The Godfather. In both appearances, it was pronounced with an Italian-American accent as "gabagool" (from Neapolitan dialect).
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.
In Italy there are four additional regions which produce capocollo that are not covered under European law, but are designated as "Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale" (P.A.T.) by the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies:
- Capocollo di Basilicata
- Capocollo di Lazio
- Capocollo tipico senese (finocchiata) (from Toscana)
- Capocollo di Umbria
