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{{Short description|Italian bacon made of pork belly meat}}
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{{Infobox food
| name = Pancetta
| image = Pancetta.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = ''Pancetta arrotolata'' slices
| alternate_name = 
| country = [[Italy]]
| region = 
| creator = 
| course = 
| type = 
| served = 
| main_ingredient = [[Pork belly]]
| minor_ingredient = Salt, sugar, spices
| variations = 
| serving_size = 100 g
}}

'''Pancetta''' ({{IPA|it|panˈtʃetta|lang}}) is a [[Salting (food)#Meat|salt-cured]] [[pork belly]] meat product in a category known as ''[[Salumi|salume]]''. In Italy, it is often used to add depth to soups and pasta.<ref name=tibaldi>{{cite web|url=http://www.cibo360.it/alimentazione/cibi/carne/conservata/Ham.htm|title=Bacon (''pancetta affumicata'')|author=Andrea Tibaldi|access-date=27 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712071455/http://www.cibo360.it/alimentazione/cibi/carne/conservata/Ham.htm|archive-date=12 July 2017|url-status=dead}} (in Italian).</ref>

==Uses==
For cooking, pancetta is often cut into cubes (''cubetti di pancetta'').<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2P2amdXif8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/h2P2amdXif8| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=''Two Greedy Italians'' – Bucatini all'amatriciana|date=29 July 2014|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In Italy, it is commonly served as a [[Lunch meat|sliced meat]], sliced thin and eaten raw. It can also be used in [[carbonara]] (although [[guanciale]] is generally regarded as more traditional).<ref name="crr">{{cite book |first1=Luigi |last1=Carnacina |first2=Luigi |last2=Veronelli |title=La cucina Rustica Regionale |chapter=Vol. 2, Italia Centrale |publisher=Rizzoli |year=1977 |oclc=797623404}} republication of ''La Buona Vera Cucina Italiana'', 1966.</ref> 

==Types==
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The two basic types of pancetta are ''arrotolata'' ('rolled') and ''stesa'' ('flat'). The ''arrotolata'', salted, is mainly cut in thin slices and eaten raw as part of [[Antipasto|antipasti]] or simply as a component of a sandwich; the ''stesa'' is used chopped as an ingredient in many recipes or cut in thick strips that are usually eaten grilled. There is also a version of ''arrotolata'' to which ''[[Capocollo|coppa]]'' is added in the center of the roll (''pancetta coppata'').{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}

The rolled type is typical of northern Italy,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.coldiretti.it/aree/ambiente/mangiosano/Disciplinari%20DOP/Disciplinare%20Pancetta%20Piacentina.htm |title=DOP – ''Pancetta Piacentina'' |access-date=16 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608222951/http://www.coldiretti.it/aree/ambiente/mangiosano/Disciplinari |archive-date=8 June 2016 |url-status=dead }} (in Italian).</ref> while the flattened type is typical of central and southern Italy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coldiretti.it/aree/ambiente/mangiosano/Disciplinari%20DOP/Disciplinare%20Pancetta%20di%20Calabria.htm|title=DOP – ''Pancetta di Calabria''|access-date=16 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126205439/http://www.coldiretti.it/aree/ambiente/mangiosano/Disciplinari|archive-date=26 November 2015|url-status=dead}} (in Italian).</ref>

While most pancetta is salt-cured and dried, ''pancetta affumicata'' ('smoked pancetta') is salt-cured and smoked, similar to [[bacon]].<ref name=tibaldi />

==Ingredients==
Most pancetta products are made using pork belly brined in a mixture of salt, [[dextrose]], spices and spice extracts, [[sodium erythorbate]], garlic, sugar, [[sodium nitrate]], and/or [[sodium nitrite]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|title=Meat products handbook practical science and technology|last=Feiner, Gerhard.|date=2010|publisher=Woodhead|isbn=9781845690502|pages=444|oclc=939134636}}</ref>{{Verify source|date=August 2024}}

==Production process==
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The pork belly skin is removed before the pork is salted and held in a tub of [[brine]] for 10–14 days in a low-temperature and high-humidity environment. The brine is usually composed of salt, nitrite, [[Vitamin C|ascorbate]], spices such as [[black pepper]], [[Chili pepper|chilli]], garlic, [[juniper]], and [[rosemary]], and sometimes nitrate.

After salting and brining, the pork is rolled, with layers of fat on the outside surrounding a meaty core. The rolled pork is then tightly packed into nettings or other fibrous casings. Rolling produces the pancetta's distinctive shape, while the casing prevents case hardening in the latter stages of the production process.

Following rolling and packing, the pork undergoes [[Enzyme catalysis|enzymatic reactions]] facilitated by exposure to a warm environment of 22–24 °C for 24 to 36 hours. It is simultaneously exposed to [[Smoking (cooking)#Types|cold smokes]] for desirable colours and flavours and to prevent moulding.

Finally, the smoked pork is held at 12–14 °C and 72–75% relative humidity for 3–4 weeks for [[Food drying|drying]]. The resulting pancetta retains approximately 70% of its original weight.<ref name=":6" />

==Preservation and shelf life==
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Pancetta is preserved by curing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thepioneeronline.com/3448/features/a-lesson-in-cured-italian-meats/|title=A Lesson in Cured Italian Meats|last=Matuszak|first=Ashley|website=The Pioneer|access-date=2019-08-06}}</ref> Curing is done using a spice and salt mixture containing nitrates or nitrites, which act to extend the shelf life of [[cured meat]]s. Nitrates help remove excess moisture from the pork, decreasing [[water activity]] and limiting available free water for the growth of spoilage-causing and pathogenic microorganisms. Sodium nitrites are used to prevent the growth of [[Clostridium botulinum|botulism-causing bacteria]] and [[listeria monocytogenes]], as well as imparting desirable flavour and colour.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://ourdailybrine.com/how-to-make-rolled-pancetta-recipe/|title=Recipe: How to Make Pancetta Arrotolata|date=17 January 2014|website=Our Daily Brine|access-date=2019-08-06|archive-date=30 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230090335/https://ourdailybrine.com/how-to-make-rolled-pancetta-recipe/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Nitrates are said to act like time-released nitrites and are used in pancetta products that require longer periods of curing and drying.<ref name=":0" />

Other constituents of the spice mixture also act to preserve the shelf life of pancetta—[[black pepper]] acts as an [[antibiotic]], and [[sodium erythorbate]] is used as an [[antioxidant]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}

Pancetta kept in its original packaging can be stored for up to 12 months.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://reandsons.com.au/products/prod-continental/detail-pancetta/|title=Pancetta|website=B.RE and Sons: Specialty Meats, Ham & Bacon|access-date=2019-08-07}}</ref> After opening, it has a shelf life of around 2–3 weeks in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/storing-food-in-the-freezer-1327662|title=How Long Food Can Be Frozen and Stored in Freezer|website=The Spruce Eats|access-date=2019-08-07|last1=Meredith|first1=Leda}}</ref>

==Nutritional value==
One 30-g serving of pancetta contains around 5.0 g of [[Protein (nutrient)|protein]], 11.0 g of [[fat]], and 20–25 mg of [[cholesterol]]. One serving comprises between 15 and 22 percent of the accepted daily value of fats.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://sharemastro.com/products/mastro/pancetta/ |title=Mastro® Pancetta – Mastro® San Daniele® Charcuterie Products|access-date=2019-08-06}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://boarshead.com/products/detail/119910216-diced-uncured-pancetta|title=Diced Uncured Pancetta |publisher=Boar's Head |access-date=2019-08-06}}</ref> Despite its high portion of daily fat value, pancetta has a lower fat content than other bacon products.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Estimation of dietary fat intake via the consumption of traditional meat products |author1=Lešić, Tina |author2=Krešić, Greta |author3=Koprivnjak, Olivera |author4=Kovečević, Dragan |author5=Gross – Bošković, Andrea |author6=Sokolić, Darja |author7=Jurković, Martina |author8=Pleadin, Jelka |date=2016|publisher=Croatian Society of Food Technologists, Biotechnologists and Nutritionists |pages=138–144|oclc=985203408}}</ref>

A single serving of pancetta contains around 540 mg of sodium.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Consumption of [[processed meat]]s is reported to be the second largest source of dietary sodium consumption, with bacon products leading processed pork products in sodium content.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pretorius |first1=Beulah |last2=Schönfeldt |first2=Hettie C. |title=The contribution of processed pork meat products to total salt intake in the diet |journal=Food Chemistry |date=January 2018 |volume=238 |pages=139–145 |doi=10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.11.078 |pmid=28867084 |hdl=2263/62969 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==Regulations==
In the [[European Union]], the labelling of pancetta is regulated under the [[protected designation of origin]] (PDO) regime. Only pancetta produced in the Italian region of [[Calabria]] may be labelled as ''pancetta di Calabria.''<ref>{{Citation|title=Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1286 of 23 July 2015 approving non-minor amendments to the specification for a name entered in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications (Pancetta di Calabria (PDO))|date=28 July 2015|url=http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2015/1286/oj/eng|issue=32015R1286|access-date=2019-08-07}}</ref>

In the United States, under the [[Food Safety and Inspection Service]] of the [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]], hormones are not allowed in hogs or poultry raised for food. Pork or poultry sold in the US must be labelled as hormone-free and include a statement saying that federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms|title=Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms|website=USDA FSIS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326184853/https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms|archive-date=26 March 2016}}</ref>

Under Canadian regulations (C.R.C., Annex C.2), a cured meat product such as pancetta is an edible meat product prepared with salt with at least 100 ppm of sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/archived-food-guidance/meat-and-poultry-products/manual-of-procedures/chapter-4/annex-c/eng/1370525150531/1370525354148|title=Annex C: Use of Phosphate Salts and Nitrites in the Preparation of Meat Products|last=Government of Canada|first=Canadian Food Inspection Agency|date=6 June 2013|website=www.inspection.gc.ca|access-date=2019-08-06}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Commons category-inline|Pancetta}}
{{Portal|Italy|Food}}
* [[List of dried foods]]
* [[Bacon]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Bacon}}

[[Category:Italian cuisine]]
[[Category:Bacon]]
[[Category:Cuts of pork]]
[[Category:Salumi]]