By Francesca Montillo, ISDA Food + Travel Writer 

If you were to ask me what my favorite food is (the one thing I could eat all day and every day of my life), my answer would have to be thinly sliced, authentic prosciutto di Parma or prosciutto San Daniele. It’s as close to my version of the perfect food as you can get. 

Truth be told, I love all salumi, and if not for the salt intake, I would probably eat them daily.  I have no doubt that you have all heard of prosciutto, soppresata, mortadella, speck and pancetta. But have you heard of Culatello di Zibello? Culatello (yes, it means “little ass,” in Italian) is the most prestigious cured meat of Italy, perhaps the world. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s likely because until the last few years, it couldn’t be imported to the States. But now that the USDA has approved it, run — don’t walk — to your nearest authentic Italian shop and buy yourself some Culatello di Zibello.  

Produced in far less quantity than prosciutto and some of the other delicacies mentioned above, Culatello is coveted not just due to its limited quantity, but because it’s made from the best part of the pork’s leg, the meatiest crural muscle. Known as the king of salami, it is wrapped in natural casing, usually clean pork bladder, and it’s produced from the boneless portion of the inner part of the thigh and pig rump, the most tender part. The meat is then cleaned and shaped and seasoned with salt, pepper and some garlic. The meat is gingerly rubbed with these seasonings, pressing into the meat to increase its flavor. It’s then refrigerated for several days to absorb the salt and other seasonings.  

Once seasoned, the meat is wrapped in twine, purposefully giving it the distinctive pear shape. The finished product weighs in at just about 5 kilos. During the curing process, they require a lot of attention. Turned and rotated every few months, the producer, known as a salumaio in Italian, must know exactly when to open the cellar windows to let the local Po River breeze in. Certified by the European Designation of Origin (DOP), Culatello must be produced only in the Emilia Romagna region, particularly in Parma and its neighbors. A consortium was created to defend the authenticity of the product. Producers receive regular visits from governing agencies to assure that the strict curing methods are adhered to. And to this day, only a few thousand are produced annually.  

After its curing process, the meat is hard so the twine is removed and the culatello is actually wrapped for several days in linen cloths that have been soaked in very dry white wine; this softens it up and gives the final product additional flavor.  

The cold and foggy months of winter and extremely hot summers of northern Italy make it an ideal environment and climate for curing this particular delicacy. Produced only from November to February, some claim that the closer the cellars are to the Po River, the tastier the final product.    

So, you may be asking: how does it taste? The flavor of culatello is delicate and sweet. The meat almost melts in your mouth. The scent is distinctive, almost funky, and overall can be used in many of the same ways that other Italian delicacies are used. Not surprising, a chunk of the local Parmigiano Reggianogoes perfectly well with culatello and a glass of local wine. Thinly hand-slicing is the preferred way of cutting it. And at $60.00+ per pound, culatello is surely an item for special occasions, or to impress friends, but is a must try, if only on rare occasions.