Lucanica di Picerno

Lucanica di Picerno is a dry cured pork sausage produced in a defined area of the Potenza province in Basilicata. Its specification requires wild fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) as the predominant aromatic ingredient, a characteristic curved 'U' shape, and the use of heavy pig carcasses classified under EU grades E, U, R and O. Both standard and spicy versions are permitted.

About this designation

Lucanica di Picerno received PGI protection on 5 June 2017 under file number PGI-IT-02313, recorded in the eAmbrosia register under identifier EUGI00000016608. The production area comprises the municipalities of Picerno, Tito, Satriano di Lucania, Savoia di Lucania, Vietri di Potenza, Sant'Angelo Le Fratte, Brienza, Balvano, Ruoti, Baragiano, Bella, Muro Lucano, Castelgrande and Sasso di Castalda. All stages from trimming of the meat cuts to maturing of the product must take place within this area. The specification requires fresh meat from heavy pigs reared for at least 9 months; carcasses must fall under EU classification grades E, U, R or O. Purebreds of the Belgian Landrace, Hampshire, Piétrain, Duroc and Spotted Poland breeds are expressly excluded, as are boars and sows. Permitted cuts are shoulder, neck, chuck, belly, tip of tenderloin and minced ham. The meat mixture must contain wild fennel seeds (Foeniculum vulgare) at between 0,13 % and 0,18 %, and the specification requires that the wild fennel aroma predominates over the spicy and chili aromas in the finished product. A spicy version is permitted provided wild fennel still predominates. The product weighs between 250 g and 350 g in standard form, with a diameter of between 3,0 cm and 3,6 cm and a length of between 20 cm and 35 cm. Labels must carry the Lucanica di Picerno PGI logo and the European symbol. Milk, milk products and GMO ingredients are not permitted.

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

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 5 June 2017 under file number PGI-IT-02313 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000016608).
• The specification expressly prohibits purebreds of the Belgian Landrace, Hampshire, Piétrain, Duroc and Spotted Poland breeds.
• Wild fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) must predominate aromatically over the spicy and chili aromas in both the standard and spicy versions.
• All production steps from trimming to maturing must occur within the 14 named municipalities of the Potenza province.

Tasting notes

Long thin cured pork sausage from Basilicata flavored with local fennel, peperone crusco (dried sweet pepper), and pepper. Firm texture, balanced sweet-spicy profile, distinct rustic southern character.

HoReCa use

Sliced for southern Italian salumi boards; chopped into rustic pasta sauces with peperoni cruschi; grilled in fresh form.

Packaging

• whole-piece-vacuum-300-500g
• deli-sliced-vacuum-100g
• pre-sliced-tray-150g