Whole Culatello di zibello dop

Culatello di Zibello PDO is a typical cured meat produced in the province of Parma, using part of the deboned thigh. It has a full, fragrant taste with a unique flavour. Culatello is a cured meat that undergoes a long aging process, thanks to which it ripens to become the king of cured meats.
It is a protected designation of origin cured meat, typical of the eponymous town of Zibello. Gualerzi Culatello di Zibello PDO is known as the king of cured meats. The typical humid climate made the curing of the whole pork thigh difficult since ancient times, which is why culatello is deboned and cured in smaller pieces.
Culatello is made from the most muscular part of the pig's hind legs.
Culatello di Zibello PDO is rindless and completely deboned. After salting, it is encased in a bladder to protect it.  
It has a characteristic pear shape with a minimum weight of 4 kg. Sweet flavour, soft and velvety texture.  

How to store it after the first cut: once you start slicing, the remaining part of the culatello should be stored in the refrigerator. To prevent it from drying out, the sliced part should be spread with olive oil or butter, and the entire culatello should be wrapped in a kitchen towel moistened with dry white wine (possibly diluted with water). For the next cut, the first slice should be discarded. 

How to prepare it for tasting: remove the string and soak the culatello for about 3 hours. Then, remove the skin. Wash under running water, brushing with a sponge. Immerse the culatello in dry white wine (possibly diluted with water) and let it soak for about 12 hours. If the amount of wine is not enough to cover the entire culatello, wrap it in a towel before immersing it, making sure to soak only the lean part to soften it uniformly.

Processing: Culatello can only be produced between October and February when the winter cold and especially the fog are present in the low plains.
The meat used is from the thigh of adult pigs raised in the province of Parma using traditional methods.  
The thigh is initially derinded, defatted, and then deboned.  
At this point, the culatello is separated from the fiocchetto, another noble part of the pork thigh, and trimmed by hand. This is followed by salting and finally encasing, which is the stuffing of the cured meat into the pig's bladder. After tying, it is aged in special cellars for a minimum of 12 months.

Pairings: Culatello should be consumed on its own to fully appreciate the uniqueness of this cured meat. Excellent with bread, croutons, fried gnocchi, or accompanied by cheeses such as cow's milk mozzarella. Recommended wines are Lambrusco or Malvasia from the Parma hills.

Net weight: 4