Culatta Zuarina stands out for its sweet, soft and enveloping taste.
It is born in Langhirano, near Parma, in the heart of Italy's Food Valley, where ideal climatic conditions enhance its qualities.
CLAI 's supply chain guarantees the excellence of the product, controlling every step: from the selection of the best Italian pigs, to expert processing and patient aging for more than 14 months.
About Culatta
Culatta is a cured meat made from the most valuable part of the pig's thigh, characterized by the presence of the rind and small bone called the anchetta, which help to preserve the tenderness and maintain the structure of the meat during aging.
It is covered with suet to protect it from drying out and allow for balanced maturation.
The aging of Culatta generally lasts between 12 and 16 months, a process that gives it a sweet and delicate flavor with refined, complex aromatic notes.
Thanks to this careful, artisanal process, Culatta retains a soft and enveloping texture, making it a cured meat of absolute excellence.
The Differences Between Culatta and Culatello
Although they come from the same anatomical part of the pig, Culatta and Culatello differ in their processing and structure:
- Culatta: is cured with the rind and hips, which protect the meat, preserving a soft texture and a delicate, sweet taste.
A distinctive aspect of culatta is sugnatura, or the application of fat (suet) to the outer surface during curing. This process keeps the meat soft and prevents drying out, ensuring a final product with an enveloping and juicy texture. Breech is more affordable than culatello, while still offering a refined taste experience. It is an ideal choice for those who want a quality cured meat at a lower price. - Culatello: it is processed without the rind and encased in a natural bladder, which gives it a compact texture. The long aging period allows the product to mature while maintaining a dry and refined texture.
The historic Zuarina brand, a passion lasting for over 160 years.
There is a limited number of companies in Italy, of absolute excellence and with a history of at least 50 years, that can bear the title of ‘Historic Brand of National Interest.’
In the case of the Zuarina ham factory, it all began in 1860 in Langhirano, a small town on the foothills of the Parma Apennines.
Here, the woods of the Apennines meet the sea breeze from Versilia which, infused with the aroma of pine forests and the scent of chestnut groves, imparts to the hams an unmistakable sweetness and fragrance. The slow and patient curing of the hams follows the rhythm of the seasons, respecting tradition and the ancient craftsmanship.