What is the difference between prosciutto and pancetta

Pancetta comes from the belly of the pig, whereas prosciutto comes from the hind leg. Because pancetta is only cured, it must be cooked before being eaten. On the other hand, prosciutto is salt-cured and air-dried for months , making it safe to eat without cooking. Both pork products are available sliced. Pancetta is essentially the Italian version of American bacon. It has a layer of fat and packs a lot of punch in recipes. These are the most common and the ones that end up shrinking the most when cooking, but are also the crispiest.

Being a cured meat, bacon is brined and seasoned heavily and it may or may not be smoked. Alright, now you know about these 3 meats and we can properly discuss their differences. Not cooked, and with a very plain cheese added. All that being said, all of them are great in on pizza and in pasta. Bacon and pancetta may be cooked with the pasta sauce, while prosciutto should be added as a topping at the end.

But for everyday use? All three of them are cured, slated, seasoned and possibly smoked. The pork belly is typically cured using a combination of salt and curing salts that often contain sodium nitrate. This curing process changes the meat so that it becomes an inhospitable environment for harmful bacteria. After the pork belly has been cured for about a week or so, then it is typically hung in a cool, damp room for several weeks so that it can dry sufficiently.

This gives the pancetta a signature flavor, which is somewhat similar to American bacon. Unlike bacon, however, the pancetta is not smoked after it is cured and dried, which allows it to have a different flavor. According to The Kitchn , pancetta is cured with salt, although spices and other aromatics may also be added in order to provide additional flavoring.

Pancetta may be sold in thin slices or diced into little cubes. The pig leg, or ham, that goes into making prosciutto is rubbed with a salt cure which may or may not contain extra spices. It is then hung to air dry for months or even years, during which time the salt will slowly draw out the moisture and concentrate the flavor.