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| Place of origin | Italy |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Pork jowl or cheeks |
| Ingredients generally used | Salt, sugar, spices |
Guanciale (Italian: [ɡwanˈtʃaːle]) is an Italian salt-cured meat product prepared from pork jowl or cheeks.[1] Its name is derived from guancia, meaning 'cheek'.[2] Its rendered fat gives flavour to and thickens the sauce of pasta dishes.[3]
Production
Guanciale[4] is usually rubbed with just salt and ground black pepper by cooks in Rome, but some producers use other spices, herbs, peperoncino[3] or red pepper,[5] and sometimes garlic. After a few weeks of this initial brining process, salt is washed off with wine. Then, it is spiced once again with pepper or chili powder and air-cured for weeks to months until it loses approximately 30% of its original weight. Its flavour is stronger than that of other pork products, such as pancetta, and its texture is more delicate. When cooked, the fat typically melts away.
In cuisine
Guanciale may be cut and eaten directly in small portions, but is often used as an ingredient in pasta dishes[4] such as spaghetti alla carbonara and sauces such as sugo all'amatriciana.[6]
It is a specialty of central Italy, particularly Umbria and Lazio. Pancetta, a cured Italian bacon, is sometimes used as a substitute when guanciale is not available.[7]
See also
Media related to Guanciale at Wikimedia Commons
References
- ^ De Vita, Oretta Zanini; Fant, Maureen B. (2013). Sauces & Shapes: Pasta the Italian Way. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-393-24151-8.
- ^ Cotto, Andrew (10 November 2010). "Italy's Ultimate Answer to Bacon: Guanciale". Salon. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- ^ a b Parla, Katie; Gill, Kristina (2016). Tasting Rome: Fresh Flavors and Forgotten Recipes from an Ancient City: A Cookbook. Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. pp. 81–82. ISBN 978-0-8041-8718-3.
- ^ a b Ruhlman, Michael; Polcyn, Brian (2012). Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 87–89. ISBN 978-0-393-06859-7. OCLC 829279722.
- ^ Downie, David (2009). Food Wine Rome. New York Review of Books. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-892145-71-0.
- ^ Carnacina, Luigi; Veronelli, Luigi (1977). "Vol. 2, Italia Centrale". La cucina Rustica Regionale. Rizzoli. OCLC 797623404. republication of La Buona Vera Cucina Italiana, 1966.
- ^ Graue, Jennifer (13 August 2016) [March 11, 2011]. "The New Bacon: Pancetta, Guanciale and More". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
