by Scott Pikovsky | Apr 30, 2020 | Fresh & Cured Meats
How does Great Ciao decide on a new product or a new producer? Ultimately side-by-side tastings that determine how products compare. The decision to bring on Il Porcellino artisan charcuterie was a massive undertaking. This particular blind tasting included 7 American...
by Scott Pikovsky | Oct 20, 2014 | Fresh & Cured Meats, Newsletter
Our new 24 “Moon” (720-Day) Prosciutto di Parmas from Devodier are a true knockout! These prized hams are aged in a deep cellar built over the old bed of the Parma River, with red clay brick walls of an ancient kiln and fir wood frames to hang the hams as...
by Scott Pikovsky | Nov 8, 2013 | Fresh & Cured Meats, Newsletter
When you look at how many dry-cured hams are on the market, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed. Some are simply labeled “prosciutto,” they might even be sliced and vacuum packed and ready to use. Others are called “Prosciutto di Parma,”...
by Scott Pikovsky | Jul 5, 2013 | Fresh & Cured Meats, Newsletter
The name has been repeated so often that it nearly skews towards the ubiquitous. And yet, there’s something you can’t deny about the humble marriage of pork and salt. Born in Parma, nestled in Italy’s culinary heartland of Emilia-Romagna, records of dry-cured hams...
by Scott Pikovsky | Oct 24, 2011 | Fresh & Cured Meats, Newsletter
Salame (s) or salami (p), like cheese, is a product that requires a select few ingredients. Traditionally salami depended on the simple combination of: protein, fat, salt and fermentation. Salami producers used wines, vinegars or the natural yeasts, to ferment their...
by Scott Pikovsky | Sep 23, 2011 | Fresh & Cured Meats, Newsletter
Jabugo or Salamanca? We had to wait until 2008 to get the famous black hams imported into the United States. The only producer certified at that time was Fermin, and they make a great product as many of you can attest. We now have the opportunity to import another...