It is considered the “King of Cured Meats”, or, even more evocatively, the “Aroma the of Fog”. Culatello di Zibello PDO is one of the most famous food products of the lower Po Valley, where this cured meat has been produced and matured for centuries, using only Italian heavy pigs.
Culatello owes its name to the part of the pig used to produce it, the breech, which is a section of the hind leg from which the rind and bone are removed. It represents a niche specialty appreciated in international markets, even outside the EU, also thanks to the activities carried out by the protection Consortium in recent years.
Major foreign destination markets
| Germany | 15% |
| France | 10% |
| UK | 10% |
| Switzerland | 5% |
| Japan | 3% |
| Canada | 2% |
| Russia | 2% |
| Brasil | 2% |
CULATELLO DI ZIBELLO PDO IN NUMBERS
Currently, the production of this cured meat is around 85 thousand pieces per year with a constantly growing trend. In 1996, the year in which the PDO certification was obtained, it recorded a certified production of only 5,500 pieces.
One kg of Culatello can cost from 50 euros (for a 2-years matured product) to 120 or more (for the 36-month reserve pieces). The Consortium for the Protection of Culatello di Zibello PDO brings together 22 producers, 14 of which are referred to as “ancient”. These are part of the nucleus that gave rise to the Consortium itself and can boast a special (red) quality mark.
CONSORTIUM: THE LIST OF MEMBER COMPANIES
- Al Vedel srl
- Antica Corte Pallavicina s.r.l. – Terre Verdi
- Azienda Agricola Brè del Gallo di Magnani Alfredo
- Azienda Agricola Roberto Mezzadri
- CroceDelizia di Carraglia Ernestino
- Dallatana srl
- Italia Alimentari SpA
- La Bastia – Bonatti Adriano
- La Boutique della Carne e dei Salumi di Parenti Giulio
- Le Roncole di Pedretti Carduccio e C. Snc
- Negroni SpA
- Sagem Srl
- Salumificio Antica Ardenga
- Salumificio Cacciali Graziano
- Salumificio Cocchi F.lli s.n.c. di Cocchi Ildebrando & c.
- Salumificio Ducale snc di Morini e Tortini
- Salumificio Minozzi Angelo
- Salumificio Soncini Gladis
- Salumificio Squisito
- Terre Verdiane srl
- Trattoria Campanini di Dadomo Maria e c. S.n.c.
- Trattoria La Buca snc
FORMATS, SIZES AND PRICES
Culatello can be sold whole, pre-sliced or in half – suitable for domestic consumption by those who can use a slicer.
On average, prices are at a high end:
- Half Culatello tradizionale, 2Kg: €98,00
- Half Culatello di Zibello PDO, 1.85Kg: €175,00
- Culatello tradizionale, 4Kg: €196,00
- Culatello gift box: €199,00