LARDO OF COLONNATA
"Nevertheless,
the Lardo of Colonnata is delicious. You can savour it, placing a
thin slice of it on a piece of bread, accompanied by fresh tomatoes and
onions, or by tasting it as a main ingredient in recipes for dishes
prepared in the finest restaurants, worldwide." This is how
various gourmet chefs, journalists, and gastronomical experts have
reported, on the ever growing fame of the Lardo.
It's
history, the position and climate of the village, the marble and it's quarries,
the expertise and the secular tradition of it's inhabitants, have 
contibuted
in giving us a grastronomical product with a unique taste which melts in
one's mouth, offering us the rich fragrance of the senses with
a mild taste which can almost be decribed as sweet to the palate.
Derived
from cuts of Italian pork, which are never inferior to 3 centimetres
(depending on the type of cut), it hides in the preparation and in the
seasoning, the secrets of it's excellence.
The
classic and unique container for the curation of the Lardo is the Conca di
Marmo, a type of tub made of marble from the Canaloni quarries of
Colonnata. It has a particular porosity which is an indispensable
factor for the seasoning of this product.
After
having rubbed fresh garlic along the inner walls of the tub, a bed of natural
salt grains is laid out where the pieces of Lardo are placed on, making
certain to press firmly so as not to leave even the tiniest space between
one piece and another. It is then covered in salt, fresh garlic,
rosemary, ground black pepper and other spices. This procedure is
repeated after the laying of every layer, until the tub is filled.
Finally the tub is sealed with a slab of marble.
The
curing process lasts no less than a period of six months and due to the
Lardo's extensive contact with the salt, an aromatic liquid called
salamoia is thus created.