Pancetta Piacentina

Pancetta Piacentina is a salted, naturally matured raw pork product produced from the fatty layer and abdominal muscle tissue of the half-carcase, rolled into a cylindrical form and matured within the province of Piacenza. The finished product weighs between 4 kg and 8 kg and displays bright red lean meat with clearly defined white fatty parts.

About this designation

Registered as a PDO on 2 July 1996, Pancetta Piacentina holds file number PDO-IT-1497 in the EU register (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013377). The designation is managed by the Consorzio Salumi DOP Piacentini. The raw material must come from pigs born, raised and slaughtered in Emilia Romagna and Lombardy; the muscular cut used is the Italian heavy pig's belly, running from the retrosternal to the inguinal area. The pigs' feed ration is based predominantly on corn mash, supplemented by barley, bran, soya beans and minerals, with by-products of cheese-making supplied mainly by dairies within the defined geographical area. All production phases — trimming, dry salting, binding, drying and maturation — must take place within the province of Piacenza, restricted to parts below 900 m above sea level. The minimum maturation period is four months, and the maximum maturing temperature is 18 °C. The minimum ash content of the finished product is 1.5 %. Packaging, slicing and cutting must be carried out under the supervision of the designated inspection body within the same production area. On the label, the name must appear in clear, indelible letters followed immediately by the term 'Denominazione di Origine Protetta'. No other description not expressly permitted is allowed.

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

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 2 July 1996 under file number PDO-IT-1497 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013377).
• The production area is restricted to the province of Piacenza, but only in parts below 900 m above sea level.
• The minimum maturation period is four months and the maximum maturing temperature is 18 °C.
• The finished product must weigh between 4 kg and 8 kg and carry the term 'Denominazione di Origine Protetta' on its label.

Tasting notes

Rolled cured pork belly aged minimum 4 months in Piacenza microclimate, alternating ribbons of rosy meat and white fat, sweet pork flavor with pepper, clove, and nutmeg, firm but yielding texture.

HoReCa use

Sliced thin for charcuterie boards; cubed for soffritto base in pasta sauces; rendered for fat in regional cuisine.

Packaging

• whole-piece-vacuum-3-5kg
• half-piece-vacuum-1.5kg
• deli-sliced-vacuum-100g
• cube-pack-200g