culatello di zibello

[athinaeos]

fellow eGullet-ians!

i am about to embark on an exploratotory mission in order to discover all the vital details relevant to culatello di zibello

my motivation is clear: i want to know enough so that i visit the right shops in E-R where can buy it, the perfect places where i can eat it, and the places where i can see part of the production process!

your contribution is as always appreciated

cheers

[Marco_Polo]

Hi athinaeos,

Genuine culatello di Zibello is mysterious and wonderful, a beautiful nugget of meat cut from the rump of prime, specially bred pigs rubbed in a concia of salt, spices and wine, then skillfully tied into a pear-shaped pig's bladder and hung up to age slowly. Where prosciutto di Parma gains its inimitable sweetness through air curing in the lofty, well-ventilated ham lofts in the hills mainly to the south of Parma, culatello di Zibello by contrast festers in the humid, foggy lowlands of the Bassa Parmense, in or around towns such as Zibello, Polesine Parmense and Roccabianca. It's the humid microclimate that gives flavour and character to genuine culatello di Zibello and the real thing can only be produced on a small, artisan scale, not industrially. Therefore, you are correct: you must come to the source to discover it.

Two impeccable addresses to visit:

Trattoria Colombo

Via Mogadiscio 119

Santa Franca

43010 Polesine Parmense PR

tel 0524098114

Cavaliere Colombo Ramelli is one of the master producers of culatello di Zibello and you can sample it in the family trattoria.

Trattoria La Buca

Via Ghizzi, 6

43010 Zibello PR

tel 0524 99214

Another source for the real thing.

[hathor]

Find Ore!

He is the maestro of culatello!

[Kevin72]

Wow. What a noble quest. You really know what you're going there for; kudos. If you can find Italian Food Artisans there's a chapter on its production in there and a place to visit. I had it in Bologna and it was rhapsodic.

[athinaeos]

marco_polo,

thank you for your valuable contribution

do you have any suggestions regarding wines to go with culatello?

cheers

[athinaeos]

kevin,

thank you for the encouragement!

you are referring to the book Italian Food Artisans is by Pamela Sheldon Johns?

cheers

[rgruby]

I visited a place not too far from Alma (which is north of Parma) that had a restaurant by the name of the White Horse, or something very similar to that (but in Italian of course) that had a culatello processing facility associated with it. I can't really pin it down more than that. I remember we got pretty lost trying to find it.

We didn't really get to take a look around - the guys working on the culatello were in basically surgical scrubs, with hairnets and possibly facial masks as well - it looked like keeping a pristine environment was incredibly important.

Hope this helps,

Geoff Ruby

[Marco_Polo]

do you have any suggestions regarding wines to go with culatello?

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I would suggest a wine from the nearby Colli Piacentini, an important but not that well known wine area contiguous to Lombardia' Oltrepò Pavese. Perhaps a young Gutturnio, produced from a blend of Bonarda and Barbera, light raspberry fruit and a vivacious frizzante foam. Raspingly dry, slightly sparkling reds such as this are superb with foods that are rich in fat and flavour (witness how real Lambrusco, such as Grassparossa di Castelvetro, rarely encountered outside of its zone of production, goes so outstandingly well with the rich foods of Romagna).

MP

[athinaeos]

Marco_Polo,

thank you for the wine suggestion! it reads like a poem!

taking advantage of the wealth of knowledge you are offering, what do you think of the accommodation strategy?

small place in a village, or hotel in a city like Parma?

please note that i do not know the area near Parma

i have only been in bologna

cheers

[athinaeos]

geoff,

thank you for the tip

i will look it up and let you know

cheers

[Kevin72]

That's the book I was talking about, yes.

I have to agree that those "fizzy wines" make all the sense in the world when you have them with culatello or prosciutto.

[ann]

I would suggest a hotel in Parma and daytrips to small towns like Zibello, where you must eat at La Buca. In Parma, I can recommend Hotel Stendhal, which has a great location, very nice breakfast, and lovely rooms. Parma is a delight, one of our favorite cities in Italy - enjoy!

[robert brown]

Did anyone mention Hosteria da Ivan in Fontanella, a few towns from Zibello? We had a memorable visit last summer which I wrote about. Use the search feature and type in "zibello". It's a very gracious and generous down home small restaurant.

[albiston]

I was waiting to see if Ore would chime in, but since he's probably too busy grilling at Chapter8 in LA, let me add Al Vedel to the suggested places where to have culatello. The people who run the restaurant also produce their own salumi, and culatello clearly, under the brand Podere Cadassa. Thze restaurant sderves nice to very good food, both traditional and slightly more creative -though never wildly so- and the wine list is simply stunning and quite moderately priced. If you're lucky enough to be there when they offer one of their long aged culatelli definitely go for it, it's a rare and delicious experience.

I wrote a report on the place, both the restaurant and the salumi making part a while ago, which you can find here.

[Marco_Polo]

I wrote a report on the place, both the restaurant and the salumi making part a while ago, which you can find here.

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And a brilliant report it is, too, Alberto. Bravissimo. Fantastic pictures of the culatelli at various stages of preparation and maturation and great, detailed description.

What I remember as most striking about genuine culatello (and there's lots of fake) is that the curing and the damp, humid conditions of the pianura padana not only result in intense flavour and creamy sweetness, but also, foremost, in incredibly profound, deep, soul-filling, hauntingly delcious aromas.

O for a plate of culatello di Zibello.

MP

[albiston]

What I remember as most striking about genuine culatello (and there's lots of fake) is that the curing and the damp, humid conditions of the pianura padana not only result in intense flavour and creamy sweetness, but also, foremost, in incredibly profound, deep, soul-filling, hauntingly delcious aromas.

←

Definitely! That's what was great about the dish I had as antipasto at Al Vedel. Tasting the three culatelli with different aging (if I recall correctly it was 16, 24 and 40 months) was like tasting a cheese in its different ripening phases. Those deep soul-filling aromas you describe evolved in a clear way never losing their seductive quality. Still, some of the locals found the 40 month's old culatello to be too powerful. I loved it .

[athinaeos]

O for a plate of culatello di Zibello!

after reading your posts alberto and marco,

i imagine that it would be perfect to set a table al fresco in the countryside, maybe in the middle of the fields immortalised by Bertolucci in "1900",

hire the philharmonia orchestra of Bussetto, and experience the culatello splendors under the sounds of "libiamo", "la donna e mobile" ...

mille grazie

[athinaeos]

grazie anna,

i will follow your advice!

[Marco_Polo]

i imagine that it would be perfect to set a table al fresco in the countryside, maybe in the middle of the fields immortalised by Bertolucci in "1900",

hire the philharmonia orchestra of Bussetto, and experience the culatello splendors under the sounds of "libiamo", "la donna e mobile" ...

←

Of course culatello or some rustic country equivalent, cured in the humid vapours of the Po, must have saturated the very soul of Verdi since the great man was born in nearby Róncole Verdi. And Busseto, where he studied, is in the heart of culatello country. La donna è mobile indeed! Perfect, athinaeos, your beautiful vision (the platters of freshly sliced meats, the bottles of rustic, unpredictably foaming wines served by waiters in wigs and period livery to the sounds of the philharmonia) conjures up the taste of culatello precisely.

I don't quite know how you are going to pull off this idyllic evocation, but if you somehow manage it, I will seek to find a way to join you!

MP

Edited September 22, 2005 by Marco_Polo (log)

[athinaeos]

I don't quite know how you are going to pull off this idyllic evocation, but if you somehow manage it, I will seek to find a way to join you!

MP

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marco,

you are more than welcome!

i will aim for the springtime

(the year will be announced later)

until then, i will manage with joselito!

cheers

[Marco_Polo]

you are more than welcome!

i will aim for the springtime

(the year will be announced later)

until then, i will manage with joselito!

←

I will look forward to this with the greatest pleasure!

[Bill Klapp]

The place that Geoff was pointing you to is Al Cavallino Bianco in Polesine Parmense, which is not far from the intersection of the A-21 and A-1 autostrade. It is the finest culatello that I have ever eaten, and beautifully presented. I was at Slow Food's Salone del Gusto last fall and attended a session with its owner in which he offered up culatelli made from various rare or nearly extinct breeds of pigs. Fascinating and utterly delicious! I routinely drive 90 minutes from the Piemonte to have lunch there. I hasten to add that Marco_Polo's two suggestions are first-rate as well.

[Ore]

WOW...

I can't believe I just saw this topic. Like both Alberto and Hathor had mentioned, I did spend some time in Vedole (Colorno), near Parma, making Culatello di Zibello (the real stuff).

If you haven't made your trip yet, I really do suggest making a stop at Al Vedel, if not for a great meal and a super wine list, then for a Culatello and Salumi tasting and a quick tour of the facility (let me know and I can see what I can do from Los Angeles!).

The 'white horse' Cavallino Bianco is the restaurant and salumeria where the President of the DOP of Culatello di Zibello sits. At Dal Pescatore, they serve his Culatello but I am slightly biased to Podere Cadasa ( Al Vedel's) product.

I sometimes still dream about the day I had to tie my first Culatello (BY HAND)....maybe I should call it a nightmare!!!

It is hard work - go see for yourself.

In the town of Colorno there is a small hotel and also a palace which now houses one of Italy's premier culinary schools.

Best of luck on your trip.

Ore

PS - yes, I was too busy with my head in the grill to see this post!

[athinaeos]

thank you Ore,

for your insightful (literally) contribution.

I am planning to go sometime in the Spring of 2006 and will let you know.

One more question springs up: is it better to go for the "aged" or the "young" stuff? My experience from other products directs me towards the "old". What is your view?

[athinaeos]

thank you Bill,

you have contributed to the creation of a 7-day trip without stops!