Zampone Modena

Zampone Modena is a prepared and cooked meat product consisting of a seasoned mixture of pig meat, fat, and rind stuffed into the natural skin casing of a pig's foreleg, complete with the distal phalanges. It is registered as a PGI and produced across a defined area of central and northern Italy, with historical origins in Modena dating to the early sixteenth century.

About this designation

Registered as a PGI under file number PGI-IT-1501, with EU protection granted on 19 March 1999, Zampone Modena is classified as a cooked meat product under Class 1.2. The designation is held by the Consorzio Zampone e Cotechino Modena IGP and carries the eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013381. The specification requires that the meat mixture contain a minimum of 17% total protein, a fat-to-protein ratio of no more than 1.9, a collagen-to-protein ratio of no more than 0.5, and a water-to-protein ratio of no more than 2.7. The mixture is composed of pig meat from striated muscles, pig fat, rind, salt, and whole pepper and/or pepper pieces; smoke flavourings are not permitted. The casing must be the natural skin of the pig's foreleg, complete with the distal phalanges, tied at the top. The geographical area of production covers the entire territory of twenty-two named Italian provinces spanning central and northern Italy, including Modena, Bologna, Parma, Milano, Mantova, and Verona, among others. All processing steps and packaging must be carried out within this defined area. When released for consumption, slices must be easy to cut, maintain their shape, and present a firm, evenly grained texture with a pink to uneven red colour. The label must display the name Zampone Modena alongside the words 'Indicazione geografica protetta' and/or the abbreviation IGP.

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

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 19 March 1999 under file number PGI-IT-1501 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013381).
• The specification sets a minimum total protein content of 17% and prohibits smoke flavourings entirely.
• The casing must be the natural skin of the pig's foreleg, complete with the distal phalanges — no substitute casing is permitted.
• All processing and packaging must take place within the defined production area, which spans twenty-two named Italian provinces.

Tasting notes

Stuffed pig's trotter with seasoned pork mixture, traditionally cooked. Crisp gelatinous skin exterior, soft pork-and-rind interior, warm spice profile (clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper) similar to Cotechino but earthier.

HoReCa use

Boiled and sliced into rounds, traditionally served on New Year's Eve with lentils; also used as a component in regional Emilian themed tasting menus.

Packaging

• vacuum-pack-pre-cooked-700-1kg
• vacuum-pack-raw-1kg
• gift-tin-1kg

Seasonality