It’s Bacon, but Not Bacon

A few months ago while shopping in an Italian deli I came across a cooler filled with beautiful unsliced bacon. At least that’s what it looked like. But the label said it was ‘Speck Alto Adige.’ Not one to pass by up an opportunity to try out some new pork product, I asked the store owner to explain.

 

He explained that Speck Alto Adige  is a kind of prosciutto but with a different curing process. Good enough for me, I thought. Since prosciutto is my second favorite kind of pork next to bacon, I bought 3 packages of the beautiful stuff and took it home for a try.

 

The first thing I noticed when I opened the package was how hard the meat is. I mean it was rock solid… well almost. I don’t know if prosciutto is as hard since I’ve only bought prosciutto sliced very thin. So knowing that I would not be able to just take a bite out of the block of meat, I got out my sharpest knife and went to work slicing. I clearly need a deli slicer in order to do justice to this stuff. I was able to slice kind of thin, but it didn’t drape the way prosciutto slices do. Undeterred I went for a taste.

 

The flavor is less intense than prosciutto or bacon but has a great smoky and earthy flavor. I tried it cold and put some of it into a tomato dish, then I also added it to a pasta sauce. All of the ways I’ve tried speck have come out wonderfully. I’ve served it to friends who immediately recognized a different flavor and asked what it was. 

 

So, I still have 2 packages unopened and I’m waiting for the right time to bring them out and celebrate. Since I’ve only seen this stuff in one place it may be necessary to order it online. That shouldn’t be a problem since I’ve seen it offered from many importers. The price is usually around $30 for 1.5 pounds. I think that compares favorably to the 2 ounce packages of prosciutto you get in the grocery store.