What is the Pillow
Definition: the pillow is a food of animal origin that can be placed in the whole of the cured meats.
It is a seasoned product with a very fat composition, derived - as can be deduced from its name - from the fresh pork cheek (trinomial nomenclature: Sus scrofa domesticus );
Compared to the average of the most common cold cuts, the pillow is small and the ordinary size is around the kilogram of weight. Superficially, on the side of the cut, the pillow appears to be off-white, while the brown prevails on the rind. In section, the pillow has an ivory color characterized by more or less important muscular veins (depending on the ratio between lean mass and fat mass of the pig of origin).
The detection of a yellowish color, or worse tending to brownish, indicates a bad state of preservation of the pillow; this condition can also be found in the "rancid" smell and taste. In similar cases it is NOT necessary to eliminate it, rather we recommend a surface trimming of the interested parts and a certain haste to the definitive consumption. Even excessive dehydration of the food indicates a shelf-life that is too prolonged or compromised. Therefore, in order to avoid the deterioration of the pillow and favor its preservation at home, it is advisable to: divide it into smaller pieces (about 100-200-300g), and treat it with vacuum, then store it in cool and possibly dark places (such as the refrigerator or a semi-underground pantry or a cellar).
Production of pillow: the production of the pillow is simple; after the cut from the animal (region of the head), which includes RIGOROUSly the preservation of the rind, the bacon is salted and peppered, and possibly spiced with aromatic herbs (sage, rosemary, etc.); finally, the pillow is seasoned for a changing period ranging from a few weeks to a maximum of 3 months. However, this last procedure, similar to that of stretched pancetta, does not include the application of "splinting".
Gastronomic aspects
As anticipated, the pillow can be used for the composition of numerous dishes that tend to belong to the regional tradition.
Served raw, skinned and thinly sliced, the bacon covers the dish - salami in an excellent way (from an organoleptic and gustatory point of view). The starters with hot croutons and bacon (also with black truffle) are well known, but its main role is undoubtedly that of the formulation of the accompanying sauces for the first courses.
Nutritional composition per 100g of RAW Pork Cheek | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nutritional values (per 100 g of edible portion)
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The pillow is the essential base for some traditional recipes among which we mention the carbonara and the amatriciana; to date, the pillow is often replaced by tense and / or smoked pancetta, certainly cheaper, but certainly not up to the original product. There are also various "lardellate" dishes (very thin slices) or enriched with bacon, which turns out to be an excellent alternative to the much more common sliced lard or small cubes.
The oenological combination recommended to the pillow concerns sparkling wines, white or rosé, but always delicate.
Nutritional characteristics
The pillow is an extremely energetic food, rich in lipids, low in protein and free of carbohydrates and fiber. This characteristic completely excludes it from the low-calorie diet aimed at weight loss.
As can be clearly seen from the table to the side, the raw material useful for the production of guanciale (that is, the raw cheek) already has absolutely peculiar characteristics. Although it still needs to be salted and seasoned, the cheek meat is particularly POOR of water to the benefit of lipid density. Even if not by much, it is likely to think that the salted and seasoned pillow has a further higher lipid content - energy.
The breakdown of fatty acids is to the advantage of monounsaturated ones but the presence of considerable amounts of saturated and cholesterol totally precludes the use of the pillow in the treatment of subjects suffering from hypercholesterolemia.
As far as mineral salts are concerned, while showing the nutritional characteristics of fresh food, it is conceivable that the matured cheek possesses particularly high amounts of sodium, which excludes it from the diet against high blood pressure.
Regarding vitamins, in addition to a modest concentration of retinol equivalents, the pillow has excellent amounts of thiamine (vit. B1), riboflavin (vit. B2) and niacin (vit. PP).
There is not a medium recommended portion of pillow, since its chemical composition prevents its framing in a healthy and correct diet. However, in the exception to the customary diet, it is possible to use the pillow depriving itself of the use of dressing fats used in the current meal.