Best Cured Meat

Acorn feeding during the montanera, the seasonal finishing period in the dehesa, distinguishes Jamón Ibérico de Bellota from other categories of Iberian cured ham. The pigs forage outdoors on acorns and pasture before their hind legs undergo salting and extended maturation. The resulting ham is asso...

Made in a defined area of Parma province near Zibello, Culatello di Zibello is an Italian cured pork specialty protected by a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). It uses a selected muscle portion from the hind leg rather than an entire bone-in ham. The trimmed meat is salted, enclosed in a natura...

Prosciutto di San Daniele is an Italian dry-cured ham produced in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Designated PDO status guarantees its unique production methods including the incorporation of pig trotters during aging. This contributes to the ham’s distinctive flavor and texture. It's valued by fo...

Dry-cured pork legs from the Parma area of Italy become Prosciutto di Parma through a regulated process protected by a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). That designation ties the name to specified sourcing and production requirements. Salt and extended maturation develop the ham's delicate savo...

In Colonnata, a village in Tuscany's Apuan Alps, pork fatback is transformed into Lardo di Colonnata through curing in Carrara marble basins. The slabs are layered with salt and aromatics including garlic, rosemary and black pepper, then left to mature for at least six months. Marble containers are...

From the Swiss canton of Graubünden, Bündnerfleisch is a cured, air-dried beef specialty protected by a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). Lean cuts are seasoned with salt, herbs and spices before a drying process that removes moisture and concentrates their flavor. Pressing during production...

Mortadella Bologna is a large cooked pork sausage originating in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, with PDO status since 1998, and is one of the oldest documented Italian salumi, with references dating to the 14th century.

Originating in Xuanwei in China's Yunnan province, Xuanwei Ham is a dry-cured pork specialty made from hind legs. Traditional production involves salting and prolonged drying and maturation, often beginning in the colder winter months. Local pig breeds are associated with the ham's history. Its deep...

Pork jowl or cheek gives guanciale its defining balance of lean meat and abundant fat. This Italian cured meat is seasoned with salt, pepper and, depending on the producer, additional aromatics before drying and maturation. Curing times vary, with periods around three months used in some preparation...

Cecina de León is a traditional cured meat product from the Castile and León region of Spain, made from the hind legs of cattle. The production process involves salting, smoking with oak wood, and air-drying the meat for a minimum of seven months. It holds a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) sta...

Speck dell'Alto Adige IGP is a lightly smoked, dry-cured ham from South Tyrol, Italy, distinguished by alternating between smoking and mountain air-drying and holding a Protected Geographical Indication since 1996.

'Nduja di Spilinga is a fiery, spreadable fermented pork salami originating in Spilinga, Calabria, made with a high proportion of Calabrian chilli peppers and notable for its soft, paste-like texture.

Ventricina del Vastese is a coarse-ground pork salami from the Vasto area of Abruzzo, traditionally stuffed into a pig's stomach and distinguished by its bold flavour from sweet and hot Abruzzese peppers.

Presunto de Barrancos is a dry-cured ham produced in the municipality of Barrancos, located in Portugal's Alentejo region. It is made from the meat of indigenous Alentejano pigs, a breed of Iberian pig known for its capacity to store fat and its acorn-based diet. The product holds a Protected Design...

Bresaola della Valtellina is a traditional air-dried, salted beef product from the Valtellina valley in the Lombardy region of Italy. It holds Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status and is distinguished from most other Italian cured meats by being made from beef rather than pork. The product...

Sobrasada de Mallorca is a traditional spreadable cured sausage from the Balearic island of Majorca, Spain, holding Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status since 1996. It is made from ground pork, predominantly from the indigenous Mallorcan black pig breed, seasoned with paprika which gives it...

Schwarzwälder Schinken, or Black Forest ham, is a dry-cured and cold-smoked pork product originating from the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) region of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany. The ham is seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, coriander, and juniper, then cured for several weeks before bei...

Lardo d'Arnad is a PDO-protected cured pork fatback from Arnad in the Aosta Valley, aged in wooden containers called doils with aromatic herbs, and is one of the few cured meats native to the Valle d'Aosta.

Coppa Piacentina is a dry-cured Italian meat holding Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, produced exclusively in the province of Piacenza in the Emilia-Romagna region. It is made from a single, whole muscle taken from the cervical region, specifically the neck and shoulder of the pig. Duri...

Jambon de Bayonne is a traditional French dry-cured ham that holds Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, produced in the Adour basin of southwestern France. It is made from local pig breeds whose hind legs are massaged and salted using brine sourced from the natural salt springs of Salies-...

Finocchiona is a traditional Tuscan cured pork salami distinguished by its use of fennel seeds or wild fennel pollen as a primary flavouring ingredient. The salami originated in the Chianti region of Tuscany and has been documented in historical records dating back several centuries. It received Pro...

Prosciutto Toscano is a protected designation of origin (PDO) dry-cured ham produced in Tuscany, Italy. It is distinguished from other Italian prosciutti by its curing process, which involves applying a dry rub of salt, black pepper, rosemary, sage, and juniper to the pork leg. The meat is aged for...

Kulen Slavonski is a traditional dry-cured pork sausage originating from the Slavonia region of eastern Croatia. The sausage is made from coarsely ground pork seasoned with hot and sweet paprika, garlic, salt, and other spices, giving it a characteristic deep red color and spicy flavor profile. Afte...

Salame di Varzi is a traditional Italian cured meat that holds a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, produced specifically in the Staffora Valley of Lombardy's Oltrepò Pavese region. It is distinguished by its coarse-ground pork mixture seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic, which is then...

Salame Felino is a traditional Italian dry-cured sausage originating from the municipality of Felino in the Emilia-Romagna region, situated near Parma. It holds a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, which mandates that production, processing, and preparation occur in its specific geographi...

Pick Téliszalámi is a traditional Hungarian winter salami manufactured since 1869 by the Pick Szeged Co. in Szeged. It is distinguished by its cold-smoked production process and a characteristic coating of noble white mold, which protects the meat during the curing process and contributes to its dis...

Salchichón de Vic is a dry-cured pork sausage from the town of Vic in Catalonia, northeastern Spain. It is made from lean and fatty pork, seasoned primarily with black pepper and salt, then stuffed into natural casings and air-cured. The product holds a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) under...

Külen (also spelled kulen) is a spicy dry-cured pork sausage originating from Slavonia, Croatia, and also produced in parts of Vojvodina in Serbia. The sausage is made from coarsely minced pork seasoned heavily with hot red paprika and garlic, stuffed into natural casings, and air-dried for several...

Njeguški pršut is a dry-cured smoked ham produced in the village of Njeguši on Mount Lovćen in central Montenegro. The ham is prepared from pork leg, dry-salted, cold-smoked over hardwood, and air-dried for several months, with the Adriatic climate and the mountain bora wind contributing to the matu...