21 replies to this topic

[Bageless]

I've got a recipe from an American cookbook that calls for pancetta and I'm in France. Does anyone know what the charcuterie equivalent of this Italian meat would be here?

[Adam Balic]

There are numerous different types of pancetta. I would sustitute petit sale (love this stuff) , but if the American recipe means a smoked pancetta, a lighlty smoked Alsacian bacon would be better.

[Suzanne F]

I could be way off the mark, but isn't there something called ventrèche, from the belly?

[Jon Tseng]

Lardons if its cubi pancetta

J

[Bux]

My understanding of American recipes is that if smoked lean pork belly is wanted, the recipe will call for bacon. It cured, but not smoked lean belly is wanted, the recipe will call for pancetta. I recall buying pork for lardons from a butcher in France, but I can't recall if it was cured or fresh. As I recall, we were making some classic dish such as coq au vin and it was whatever the butcher recommended. As I recall, we were buying the chicken and said we wanted a bird for coq au vin. He said we'll need lardons as well then, which preempted our request.

[Wolfert]

I think it is ventreche in most of France, and in the Languedoc or wherever Catalans live, cansalada.

[Jonathan Day]

And in the Southeast, where there are lots of Italians around ... pancetta.

[Adam Balic]

Is this a traditional thing (eg. Some ex-house of Savoie "French" towns like Nice spoke Italian before the formation of the Italian republic) or more modern?

[Lesley C]

How about lardons fumés or poitrine fumé?

[Bux]

How about lardons fumés or poitrine fumé?

Pancetta is not smoked, or am I incorrect about this?

[Lesley C]

Well then you can get unsmoked lardons. I've seen both sold in French supermarkets.

[Jonathan Day]

Is this a traditional thing (eg. Some ex-house of Savoie "French" towns like Nice spoke Italian before the formation of the Italian republic) or more modern?

Adam, I don't know. But along the Cote d'Azur, you find lots and lots of Italians, and French people with Italian names, and Italianesque products such as porchetta, often with Italian names.

[Adam Balic]

Is this a traditional thing (eg. Some ex-house of Savoie "French" towns like Nice spoke Italian before the formation of the Italian republic) or more modern?

Adam, I don't know. But along the Cote d'Azur, you find lots and lots of Italians, and French people with Italian names, and Italianesque products such as porchetta, often with Italian names.

Well I guess at one point they were as 'Italian' as any of the other regions. I have read that one of the greatest dispointments in Garibaldi's life was the desision of his home town of Nice to become French. Many locals in Nice still have Italian surnames.

One would think that having a biscuit named after him would be enough for any man.

[Adam Balic]

How about lardons fumés or poitrine fumé?

Pancetta is not smoked, or am I incorrect about this?

Depends on the panchetta type. Much of it isn't though. Mostly I have seen the smoked versions coming from the North-East.

[Bageless]

Thanks, everyone. I'll use lardons.

While we're on the subject, what would prociutto be? (I hope it's jambon du pays because we've got plenty of that.)

I'm in the central Pyrenees, by the way.

[Lesley C]

Go for Jambon de Bayonne.

[Jonathan Day]

Prosciutto = jambon de Parme (or jambon San Daniele)

[Suzanne F]

Thanks, everyone. I'll use lardons.

Uh uh. Ventreche. (Thanks for the backup, Ms. Wolfert!)

[Bux]

I've just received advertising from a wholesale French charcuterie in San Francisco. They offer a poitrine roulée which they translate as "rolled bacon (pancetta)." I have no idea if this is a typical French product, or even one that could be found in France and I am still of the opinion that bacon is smoked and pancetta is not. The more I learn, the less I know somedays.

A good aged cured ham (jambon de pays) should substitute well for prosciutto. A good serrano or iberico ham might even be an improvement.

Ventreche is belly, is it not. I have seen ventreche de thon--tuna belly--in France. In a butcher shop or charcuterie, does the term imply cured pork belly. In any event, would not lardons come from a ventreche?

[Adam Balic]

I am still of the opinion that bacon is smoked and pancetta is not. The more I learn, the less I know somedays.

Bacon = Pancetta. Don't you have un-smoked or rolled bacon (Ayreshire cure) in the US?

[Bux]

Bacon = Pancetta. Don't you have un-smoked or rolled bacon (Ayreshire cure) in the US?

Ayreshire cure? I'm not even aware we had Ayreshire disease.

[MobyP]

I am still of the opinion that bacon is smoked and pancetta is not. The more I learn, the less I know somedays.

Bacon = Pancetta. Don't you have un-smoked or rolled bacon (Ayreshire cure) in the US?

Pancetta affumicata (smoked) - is pretty common around these parts (London), as well as the dry cured kind.