By Porter Lang
Read the label before the recipe. Two pork specialities sit on Italian tables at Christmas and New Year, and both carry the words “Modena IGP”. Most buyers assume that means they were made in the city of Modena. The sources say otherwise.
Two products, one name
The Emilia-Romagna regional agriculture site describes Cotechino Modena IGP as a pork delicatessen product made from a mixture of striated muscle, fat, rind and seasonings. Qualigeo, the European database of protected-origin foods kept by the Qualivita foundation, says the mixture goes into a casing, natural or artificial, and is cylindrical in shape. Zampone Modena IGP uses the same kind of mixture, according to Qualigeo, but is stuffed into a casing made from the skin of a pig’s front leg, including the toes, and tied at the top. The same page says it is shaped like a front trotter.
Where it can be made
Here the sources part. Qualigeo says the production zone is the whole of Emilia-Romagna, plus the provinces of Cremona, Lodi, Pavia, Milan, Monza-Brianza, Varese, Como, Lecco, Bergamo, Brescia and Mantua in Lombardy, and Verona and Rovigo in Veneto. The regional agriculture site names three regions as well, but lists nine Emilia-Romagna provinces, among them Modena, Ferrara, Ravenna, Rimini, Forlì, Bologna, Reggio Emilia, Parma and Piacenza, and does not list Monza-Brianza. We do not choose between the lists. Our reading: before relying on a particular province, check the producer’s address against the current production specification, which the consortium publishes. That is our advice and not a finding of either source.
What the protected name promises
The Zampone and Cotechino Modena IGP consortium, which says it has existed since 2001, describes the mark as protection across Europe. It says the mark certifies respect for the traditional recipe, “the same since 1511”, the use of high-quality meat, production in the traditional zone, and set sensory and nutritional characteristics. The consortium also says each member company is checked by an independent body, IFCQ Certificazioni, working to a control plan approved by the agriculture ministry. This is the producers’ own account of the scheme, so we label it that way.
What goes in
According to Qualigeo the meat is minced through plates with 7 to 10 millimetre holes for the muscle and 3 to 5 millimetre holes for the rind, then mixed with salt and whole or cut black pepper. The regional site says the seasonings vary from one producer to the next, which it calls each firm’s “concia”, and that additives such as polyphosphates are strictly forbidden. It lists spices permitted under the specification, among them pepper, cinnamon, mace, coriander, cloves, cumin, vanilla, nutmeg, thyme, bay and garlic. The spice mix is the part no producer will give away, the same page says.
Fresh or precooked
This is the practical question. The regional site says Cotechino Modena IGP is sold either fresh, kept in the fridge, or precooked in airtight packs that keep at room temperature for longer. Fresh needs long cooking before it is eaten. Precooked needs much less, generally 15 to 20 minutes. Qualigeo says the same for zampone and adds that the fresh product is dried in a hot-air oven before sale, while the precooked one is cooked in water. For size, Qualigeo says cotechino is sold whole at 400 to 600 grams and zampone whole at about one kilogram. We give no brand and no cooking times beyond what the sources state.
How it looks cut
Both sources agree on what a good slice looks like. The regional site says that, once cut, the surface is bright pink tending to an uneven red, with a firm, uniform texture, and that the product must slice easily. Qualigeo says the slices are compact with a uniform grain and a pinkish colour tending to red. For zampone it adds a soft texture and an intense, aromatic flavour. These are descriptions, not tests, and a shop cannot be asked to cut every sausage open.
On the table
Both Qualigeo and the regional site say these are traditional at Christmas and New Year, and are served in fairly thick slices with lentils. They also name white beans, mashed potatoes, spinach with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano. Qualigeo adds winter vegetables such as cabbage for cotechino, and apple sauce for zampone. The pairing suggestions in both sources include wine; we leave those out.
Where the name comes from
The consortium and Qualigeo both trace the origins to 1511 in Mirandola, in the Modena area. Qualigeo says the product spread to nearby markets from the eighteenth century, helped by two old salumi workshops. The regional site says many consider cotechino the ancestor of all sausages and describes its early form as a poor relation made largely of rind and ears, now made with prime head muscle, fat and rind. We leave out the circumstances Qualigeo attaches to the 1511 story, which involve a military episode and which we cannot weigh.
Dates in order
- 1511: the traditional origin, according to the consortium and Qualigeo.
- Eighteenth century: spread to nearby markets, according to Qualigeo.
- 2001: the consortium, by its own account.
Side by side
The two sources agree on the process, on the 15 to 20 minute figure and on the table traditions. They differ on the list of provinces. The consortium’s account of the mark is a producer body speaking for itself; the regional and database pages are public bodies. Our reading: the label is a useful signal and the zone is wider than the name suggests.
What kind of sources these are
A regional government agriculture page; a database kept by a non-profit foundation for protected foods; and the consortium’s own website. None is a shop, and we read no retailer. We give no prices and no brands.
Questions a buyer would ask
Is it fresh or precooked? Does the pack carry the name and the European symbol? Is the weight in the range the database gives? We recommend no producer and name none.
What we left out
We left out the wine pairings, the production tonnage and sales figures, the member companies, the recipes and the circumstances attached to the 1511 date.
Quick answers
Is Cotechino Modena IGP made in Modena? Not necessarily. According to Qualigeo, the production zone covers all of Emilia-Romagna plus provinces in Lombardy and Veneto.
How long does precooked cotechino take to cook? According to the Emilia-Romagna regional agriculture site, generally 15 to 20 minutes. Fresh cotechino needs a much longer cook.
When is it traditionally eaten? The regional site says at Christmas and New Year, usually in thick slices with lentils.
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