At the court of His Majesty the culatello

Of the series a different camper stop: an experience of taste in the company of the culatello.

Thinking about a different camper stop, experiential there are many ideas that swirl us immediately in the head, and in our articles some of them we have already proposed and we will continue to do so.

But if we connect the words pause, experiential and enogastronomy, then everything takes on a different connotation.

Think of Emilia, think of the gentle bends of the Po, the sway of the Great River in its slow flow towards the Adriatic Sea, between boundless plains, embankments delimited by poplar trees and the light morning fog.

What does this landscape whisper to you?

To us appear immediately: peasant feasts, open tables, bicycles, and a smell of cold cuts that you feel as soon as you park for the camper and enter a local trattoria or someone’s house. In fact, in these parts every farmer had at least one pig and in November they made pork rinds, cured pork. You know the saying:

 the pig saying you don’t throw anything away?

In the microclimate characterized by mists and humidity that only in a well-defined area of the Po coast you can find, one of the most famous Italian cold cuts in the world Il culatello DOP is born.

Processing

We are in the province of Parma and for a different camper stop, we accompany you on an experiential itinerary to discover how to taste this fantastic product of norcineria.

About norcineria and the art of pork processing also read

The culatello Museum in Polesine di zibello

Recognize the culatello thanks to its characteristic pear shape that is obtained after carefully processing the meat of the pig’s thigh. A rite of ancient tradition, that several times we have seen and that already participating in this moment is a real exciting experience.

The product specification only allows the meat to be processed in winter and small amounts of salt, black pepper, wine and crushed garlic to be added.

The aging takes place in cellars made of brick and not air-conditioned for 24/30 months; only in this way the culatello can breathe the fog and maintain a meat so sweet and ruby red color that we know well. And only in this way in fact you get that unique and inimitable scent that is released as soon as you approach the nose a slice or enter a cellar of production.

The tasting

If you have purchased a aged culatello, its preparation for the tasting may require some precautions, but if your different camper stop is at a producer or a restaurant, and you ask for a good dish of culatello, here’s how you can best taste it, according to us.

If you are a purist of taste like Angela, then the culatello must be enjoyed only in purity. The slice is taken in hand, folded on itself, approached to the nose to fully grasp the scents that are released, and then put in the mouth and chewed gently. We assure you that you will enjoy full of perfume and flavor with every bite. A piece of bread like micca, which has a soft crumb and a light crust, and a glass of wine are the ideal accompaniment.

If you love matching then you’re like Monica. The culatello, in his opinion, must be accompanied with the fried cake that enhances the sweetness, in contrast with the fried.

Others offer it with some curl of excellent butter to spread on bread, strictly micca.

Also in the kitchen there are different dishes where the culatello is ingredient; one on all the risotto al culatello. Among the main dishes we also remember the green tortelli al culatello. The filling is made by stewing the culatello and ham stem with raw celery and juniper and then blending with red wine and continued cooking with the broth. Bread grated eggs and Parmigiano Reggiano are the ingredients that complete the recipe.

In the second courses we definitely find the rolls with the culatello in the stuffing along with an excellent buffalo mozzarella. Another second delicious also excellent in campers, are asparagus with butter and culatello. Once boiled, the asparagus is flavoured in a pan with a knob of butter and thyme for a few minutes.

Finished this passage, wrap the asparagus two by two in a slice of culatello and bring to the table.

Motorhome stop different

But if you want to discover the workmanship of the culatello we invite you to come to the parmense and you can have a different camper stop in one of the companies that welcome campers like the ones we offer to those who join, and that you find in the Stop Producers section.

It’s a true and unique way to discover this tradition as well as many others, and thus make a complete and unique experience.

For tasting at the table, there are many restaurants where you can also stop with the camper. Or take advantage of the many parties that from May to November propose this fantastic product and have a real taste experience.

On the other hand also this is “The nice and good of a motorhome trip”