fiocchetto

Also known as the fiocco, this smaller, less fatty muscle from the back of the hog's leg is cured with salt and spices in a pig's bladder the same manner as culatello, but because it's rather smaller it takes only six months or so to dry. The result is a dark red, firm, moist meat, with a delicate if piggier taste than prosciutto, and ideally sliced paper thin.

Not to be confused with Tuscany's finocchiata, which is really capocolla

DOP Fiocco di Culatello is made in the Po valley, where the humid winters and hot summers are perfect for ageing pork.