Food Encyclopedia

culatello

Hailing from Parma and made by the same masters that produce prosciutto di Parma, culatello is made from the hog's leg. It's salt-cured for 3 days, tenderized by massage and aged for at least 11 months. This distinctively pear-shaped ham is lean and rosy red and has a delicately sweet, clean flavor. Culatello di Zibello, which is traditionally produced in the territory adjacent to the River Po, is distinguished by a protected designation of origin designation. Culatello is often served as part of an antipasto platter. See also ham.