Top 4 Corsican Cured Meats

Pascal Flori is a renowned producer of traditional Corsican cured meats, known for his unwavering commitment to quality and the preservation of authentic production methods. His charcuterie, located in the heart of Corsica in Murato, specializes in delicacies such as lonzo, coppa, figatellu, and saucisson, all crafted according to time-honored recipes passed down through generations. By using only the finest ingredients and adhering to traditional drying and smoking techniques, Flori ensures that the distinctive and rich flavors of Corsican gastronomy are preserved. His passion for the craft is evident in every product, and connoisseurs of fine charcuterie around the world recognize his dedication to artisanal methods and the exceptional taste of his carefully curated selection of cured meats.Expand

Jambon sec de Corse is a salted, dry-cured and matured ham made from the meat of the local Nustrale breed of pork, coming from the French island of Corsica, where the soil and climate favorably influence the taste of the meat. The animals feed mostly on local chestnuts and acorns for at least the first 30 days, after which the diet is supplemented with barley. Jambon sec de Corse is matured for at least 12 months, acquiring its unique texture and flavors. When sliced, the ham is lean and red to deep red, well marbled with intramuscular fat. The flavors range from rich and fruity to woody and nutty with hints of mushroom. Due to its high fat content, it is almost sweet, but also salty and peppery. Pair it with green olives, melon or figs.Expand

Coppa de Corse is a salted, cured and slowly matured meat prepared from the chine of pigs of the Nustrale breed that is local to the island of Corsica in France. The meat is processed for a minimum of five months and weighs from 0,8 to 2,2 kilograms when fully matured, tied with a string or a net. The texture of the meat is smooth and firm, and the taste is extremely rich and intense, with flavors reminiscent of fruit, mushrooms, hazelnuts and a woody, salty, peppery taste, as well as a slight buttery and smoky aroma. Once this unique, lean meat is sliced thinly, a deep red and marbled color shows along with the white-pinkish intermuscular fat, the oily slices ready to be consumed with a slice of toasted bread or paired with cheese.Expand

Lonzo de Corse is salted, dry-cured and matured meat made from pork loin of the Nustrale breed, native to the French island of Corsica, where the animals feed mainly on chestnuts and acorns. It must mature for at least three months, tied with a string and hung to develop its distinctive flavors. When sliced, the slices are oily and slightly marbled with white to pink, tender fat, while the meat is dense, supple, creamy and pink to red. The meat develops a characteristic variety of light and fresh, sweet flavors, ranging from those of dried ham, mushrooms, woodlands and hazelnuts to those of salt, pepper and smoke. It can be enjoyed thickly sliced as a starter, diced and paired with beer as an aperitif, or pan fried in omelettes.Expand

Figatelli de l’Île de Beauté is a pork-liver sausage from the island of Corsica in France. The product originates from the practice of preserving pig offal and meat in Corsican villages during the winter pig slaughter ritual, when liver, throat fat and lean meat were combined, salted, spiced and smoked to provide a long-keeping charcuterie product for local consumption. For production the lean pork cuts, throat fat (gorge) and pork liver are chopped together (liver generally representing between 30 % and 50 % of the mix depending on area), seasoned with fine salt and black pepper (up to 6 g/kg), sometimes red wine, sugar or garlic, stuffed into a natural pork casing in a U-shape, lightly smoked using chestnut, oak, beech or arbutus woods and then matured under controlled natural ventilation until the desired firmness and amber-brown to dark-brown colour are reached. Variations occur between Corsica’s north and south: in Haute-Corse the liver proportion is closer to 30 % and the sausage appears amber in colour, whereas in Corse-du-Sud the liver proportion may rise to 50 % and the sausage is darker and more intense in flavour; another variation concerns the presence or absence of garlic and the precise smoking wood used by different producers. A distinguishing feature of Figatelli de l’Île de Beauté is its unusually high liver content compared with many other charcuterie sausages, which gives it a singular texture, a dense mouth-feel and pronounced organ flavour, while the smoking and drying evoke the mountainous, forest-rich environment of Corsica. It is eaten after full cooking—grilled over coals, oven-roasted or pan-fried—and served with rustic bread, white beans or lentils, chestnut polenta or brocciu cheese; it pairs well with full-bodied Corsican red wines or vibrant rosés, and complements pickled onions or a simple green salad to offset its richness.Expand