The Wonders of Pancetta

What is halfway between bacon and prosciutto? Pancetta. I remember the first time I was officially introduced to pancetta. I was in San Francisco at an Italian Deli early one morning and asked a fobby Italian dude what did he recommend for a breakfast sandwich. "Pancetta!" He exclaimed without a moments hesitation. Really? I thought to myself. It seemed like eating a raw bacon sandwich, so I decided against it at the time. Since then, I've obviously had it in pasta dishes at restaurants, but never bought it myself. Between bacon, salami, and prosciutto...there isn't much room for Pancetta. But the other day I was at Whole Foods looking to purchase prosciutto to put on top of a homemade pizza. It was an utter rip off. Prosciutto is expensive normally, but incredibly expensive at Whole Foods (and oddly, did not look particularly awesome, like say, the good stuff from Bay Cities). Right next to it was Pancetta, a much more affordable meat. This seemed like a good opportunity to try it.

A couple things about Pancetta - it can be eaten raw or cooked. It can be eaten like a lunch meat, although I doubt many (outside fobby Italians) would indulge in a Pancetta sandwich. The meat is cured, but for a much shorter time that salami or prosciutto. In some ways, it is almost like eating a super fatty salami. In other ways, it's like eating raw bacon. I tried it raw, didn't eat too much, and felt fine. Mostly I use it as a nice addition to pizza, pasta, or omelettes - cooked. And it lasts. It says good for weeks in the fridge, unlike most lunch meats which go bad after a couple of days.

It is a less fatty than bacon and more than prosciutto or salami. It is a nice little change of pace. I recommend.