Coppa de Corse

A Corsican PDO cured meat prepared from the chine of pigs of the local Nustrale breed, salted, cured, and matured for at least five months, including a maturing phase of over two months conducted exclusively in natural environmental conditions. The lean meat is red to deep red and marbled, with a firm and smooth texture and a fat-to-lean ratio of between 30 and 50 %.

About this designation

Registered as a PDO under file number PDO-FR-0992, with EU protection granted on 26 April 2012, and recorded in eAmbrosia under identifier EUGI00000014294, 'Coppa de Corse'/'Coppa de Corse — Coppa di Corsica' is produced exclusively on the island of Corsica from the chine of pigs of the Nustrale breed, slaughtered between 12 and 36 months of age with carcass weights of 85 kg to 140 kg. The fresh piece is cut at the fifth rib, with two pieces taken per pig; all procedures involving negative temperatures, including freezing and deep freezing, are prohibited. After weaning, animals are reared free-range on sylvo-pastoral lands; during the final fattening phase they feed principally on chestnuts and acorns, with barley as the only authorised supplement. Salting uses sea salt exclusively, with no preservatives permitted. The combined salting, curing, and maturing period lasts at least five months, of which the maturing phase alone exceeds two months and is carried out exclusively in natural environmental conditions. The finished product is between 25 cm and 35 cm long, cylindrical in shape, and has a dry weight of 0,8 kg to 2,2 kg. It is presented in a pork casing or lined with pig fat and tied with string or a net. Oleic acid content must be at least 45 % and intramuscular lipid at least 6 % of the dry product.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 26 April 2012 under file number PDO-FR-0992; eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000014294.
• The specification prohibits all procedures involving negative temperatures, including freezing and deep freezing, at any stage.
• Sea salt is used exclusively as the preservative; the specification permits no other preservatives.
• The final fattening phase requires pigs to feed principally on chestnuts and/or acorns, with barley as the only authorised supplement.

Tasting notes

Corsican cured pork shoulder/neck (analogous to Italian coppa) from local pig breeds (Nustrale primarily), aged minimum 7 months. Deep ruby meat with marbled fat, dense firm texture, intensely savory flavor with herb-de-maquis notes (fennel, juniper, myrtle from acorn-and-chestnut diet).

HoReCa use

The source states that consumption of 'Coppa de Corse'/'Coppa de Corse — Coppa di Corsica' starts in April and ends in November at the latest, that it is consumed widely and daily on the island, and that it is usually eaten as a starter.

Packaging

• whole-piece-vacuum-1.5-2.5kg
• deli-sliced-vacuum-100g
• gift-sliced-pack-200g