Panzetta — Corsican Cured Belly IGP

Corsica, France — island-wide. IGP 2023.

Panzetta is Corsica's cured pork belly — the island's pancetta equivalent, though its herb profile and the pasture diet of the Porcu Nustrale distinguish it from any Italian cognate. The belly slab is rubbed with sea-mineral-salt, maquis-dried herbs (nepita, rosemary, myrtle), and coarsely cracked black-pepper, then weighted for two to three weeks before rolling and tying. The IGP specification approved in July 2023 mandates Corsican-origin pigs and a minimum four-month hang. At full cure the fat layers have hardened slightly at the surface but remain yielding at the core, with the herb rub embedded in the outer fat cap. Panzetta is used primarily as a cooking fat and flavour base in Corsican minestra, soupe corse, and bean stews — rendering into the soup base alongside onion and maquis-herb aromatics — rather than sliced and eaten raw as a board item. Its flavour contribution is deeper and more aromatic than lardo or plain pancetta because the Porcu Nustrale fat carries the island's botanical character.

• Pancetta tesa (Italian — unsmoked flat cure, different herb profile)
• Ventrèche (Gascon cured belly — similar rolling technique)

Fatty and aromatic; maquis herbs embedded in outer fat; mildly saline; renders to a clear golden fat with botanical complexity.