Cotechino di Modena PGI - Pre-cooked

The production area of Cotechino Modena PGI covers the entire region of Emilia-Romagna

Cotechino Modena PGI is made from a mixture of pork meat obtained from the striated muscles, pork fat, rind, salt, whole and/or chopped pepper. It must be prepared by mincing in a meat grinder using moulds with holes between 7 and 10 mm in diameter for the muscle fractions and between 3 and 5 mm for the rind. This operation may be preceded by roughing. All the components are mixed in vacuum or atmospheric pressure machines. The resulting mixture must be stuffed into natural or artificial casings. When marketed fresh, the product must be dried in a hot air oven. When marketed cooked, it can be pre-cooked generally in water.

The birth of Cotechino Modena PGI dates back to 1511, following the need by the inhabitants of Mirandola, besieged by the army of Pope Julius II della Rovere, to find a technique to preserve pork. The townspeople decided to slaughter pigs to save them from pillage and stuff the meat into casings, thus creating cotechino. The resulting product was very successful and spread to neighbouring markets from the 18th century onwards, thanks also to the increased production of the old charcuterie shops, Frigeri and Bellentani.

Characteristics

Cotechino Modena PGI has a cylindrical shape and must be easy to slice and hold. When cut, slices must be compact, uniformly grained, pinkish in colour with parts tending towards red. The taste is characteristic.

Pairings

Cotechino is traditionally present on tables during the Christmas and New Year festivities. It is served in fairly thick slices in combination with lentils, stewed beans, but also mashed potatoes or spinach with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano PDO. It is also appreciated with winter vegetables such as cabbage or savoy cabbage. It is ideal paired with sparkling red wines, such as Lambrusco PDO from Modena.

Pork 43%, pork rind, pork fat, salt, sugar, spices, antioxidant (sodium ascorbate), preservative (sodium nitrite).

Gluten-free.

Obtained from the processing of the noble parts of the pig, Cotechino Modena PGI is an ancient food but possesses nutritional properties in line with modern requirements: rich in noble proteins, B vitamins and minerals (especially iron and zinc), it is also less caloric than one would think, since part of the fat is dispersed during cooking.

Energy value297 caloriesFats23 gof which saturated9.2gCarbohydrates0.5gof which sugars0.5 gProtein22 gsalt2.3g