Coppa is a whole cut made with the upper neck muscles at the base of the pig’s head. Coppa is one of many traditional Italian cured meats, prized for its rich flavour and delicate texture.
The meat dates back to 1800, where there is written evidence of Coppa being produced in the Piacenza area. Today, it is produced in the Lombardy and Emilia regions.
The production process sees the careful selection of neck cuts, which are then trimmed and salted. The salted Coppa is left to cool, before being stuffed into a casing and hand tied using cord. Finally, it is dried between 15-25°C , after which it is cured in extremely high-humidity environments.
Although Coppa’s fat is visually more prominent, it does not contain more fat that Salami.
There are differences between Coppa, Coppa Di Parma PGI and Coppa Piacentina PDO. Under the rules of a PDO, the entire production must take place in a defined geographical area, whereas a PGI can have one or more production phases take place outside of these areas. Both PGI and PDO product must be made using Italian pigs and natural casing. The minimum curing time for PGI product is two months, but it is three months for a PDO.
