In gastronomy, the term pancetta contains more than one meaning, although all refer to a fleshy preparation derived from the belly of the pig (pork). The noun "pancetta" can therefore refer to:
- Preserved bacon:
- Rolled bacon, with or without rind, bagged or not bagged, smoked or not smoked (it is a salami)
- Tender bacon, smoked or not smoked, sliced or diced (salted, flavored and possibly smoked meat - it is also an ingredient in sauces for pasta dishes, savory pies, etc.)
- Bacon (pre-cooked and smoked meat)
- Fresh bacon (whole, sliced - is both an ingredient and a dish in its own right).
Preserved bacon
Preserved pancetta is an extremely widespread product obtained from the flesh of the belly of the fresh pig. It is white (fat) with more or less important streaks of muscle (red or brown); the fat of the smoked pancetta takes on a yellowish color.
Production: we start with the squaring, trimming and possible scalping of fresh pancetta which, immediately after, is salted, flavored and spiced (black pepper and sometimes rosemary, cloves, nutmeg, fennel seeds, etc.); the pancetta is then left to rest for a few days. The following procedure varies according to the type of product to be obtained:
- Rolling up, with or without rind; if it has no rind, the pancetta must be stuffed into a natural or synthetic gut and then tied. That prepared in the territory of Carnia provides for a greater salting compared to other other regional recipes; the Friulian-Manicata pancetta is prepared by salting in overlapping layers, splitting it and stuffing it inside a particular gut called matured sleeve . Pancetta con loza is produced WITHOUT rind but adding to it the loin of "loin"; it is then rolled up on itself, stuffed and seasoned.
- Splint, with the rind; the pancetta is folded and pressed between two axes tied together.
- No other proceedings; the stretched pancetta is simply left to mature with the rind.
Finally the seasoning process takes place, which lasts from 50 to 120 days, depending on the size; the rolled pancetta with loin faces a seasoning long up to 10 months.
The bacon with COTENNA can also be exempted from maturing, provided it undergoes an appropriate smoking by using specific smokehouses ; moreover, the stretched pancetta can be subjected to "cubing" and sold in boxes even without seasoning or smoking.
Bacon is an extremely widespread preparation in Anglo-Saxon countries, in China and in Korea; it is nothing more than fresh steamed bacon and then smoked.
Fresh bacon
Fresh pancetta is the uneaten belly of the pig. It constitutes an absolutely widespread dish in all the countries that traditionally consume pork and represents a progenitor of the "grilled pork", a recipe that is absolutely widespread and typical of areas with a continental rather than a Mediterranean climate (north and north-east).
The cooking method par excellence of pancetta is "grilled" and with embers; through a similar treatment, fresh pancetta has the ability to dissolve and drain considerable amounts of fat, losing a good amount of excess calories. On the other hand, what many people are unaware of is that the weight loss of fresh roasted bacon is NOT directly proportional to that of the lipids it contains as, in addition to these, a certain level of dehydration (water loss) occurs. Furthermore, it is also advisable to carefully consider the negative implications of grilling, or the hyper-production of toxic and carcinogenic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Bacon: hygiene and additives
The pig is an animal potentially at risk of Toxoplasma-type parasitosis, an organism that can infect humans and cause irreversible damage to the fetus of a pregnant woman. For this reason, the preserved pancetta (except the bacon) is an UNEASED food for the feeding of the pregnant woman who, from a hygienic point of view, could alternatively consume the freshly cooked pancetta.
The "commercial" preserved pancetta is characterized by a particularly "alive" muscle streak color, while the housewife color quickly darkens. This difference is determined by the presence or not of sodium nitrate in the meat which, if on the one hand it maintains the color of the industrial product, on the other it is perceived with disgust on the palate of connoisseurs (not to mention the carcinogenic potential which, if in excess, could manifest on humans).
Nutritional characteristics
Preserved pancetta is an extremely fatty food, therefore high in calories, rich in cholesterol and sodium chloride. It is absolutely contraindicated to the diet of the obese, that against hypercholesterolemia and also in the diet for hypertension.
Preserved pancetta does not contain concentrations of vitamins or mineral salts worthy of note.
In a balanced diet, pancetta must occupy a marginal role; a frequency of sporadic consumption and moderate portions are recommended.
Nutritional values (per 100 g of edible portion)
INRAN Food Composition Tables
Nutritional composition for 100 grams of edible part Pancetta magretta: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nutritional composition per 100 grams of edible part Pancetta tesa: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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