Thursday 8 December 2011

Calories in Pancetta


For those of you who are confused about what is a pancetta, it is non-smoked Italian bacon, seasoned with salt and other spices. It is moist and tender in comparison to bacon and is quite subtle in flavor. Typically, you will find pancetta sold in supermarkets to be either rolled (rotolata) or flat in thin strips (stesa), colored pink or pale red or auburn. Spiraling the pasta binds the fat and muscle together, giving it a better flavor. It may be later cut into cubes, to cook. In Italy, the strip variety is quite common and the fat tends to collect on one side so you may slice it out of your pork. Your packaged pancetta can be anywhere between 3 to 6 weeks depending on the storage conditions and temperature. The only similarity pancetta shares with bacon is that they both come from the belly of the pig and are rich in fats.

However, pancetta is allowed to age naturally for about 3 months until it is tough enough, before processing. It is generally cooked with one or more of these ingredients; pasta, eggs, other meats, vegetables, sauces and cheese. It may also be used in a seafood recipe. Pancetta adds richness to the dish. You may be familiar with dishes containing pancetta such as Sugo all'amatriciana and pasta with pancetta. Often, pancetta is not cooked, but added raw to the recipe. Since American pork tends to shrink and contains a lot of grease, pancetta is a preferred choice, especially in Spain and Croatia.

Several parts of Italy have acquired a protected geographical status for their distinct recipe for pancetta, making it illegal for the rest of the world to manufacture pancetta with such a recipe. Much has been said in praise of this Italian meat, but do you know how many calories are there in pancetta or what is its nutritional value? Let's take a look at such facts on this tasty pork.

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