What is…. Coppa?

Coppa comes from the shoulder of a pig and is made from Pig’s Collar or Neck Fillet.  In Italy where it originated it also called Capocollo which means ‘head of the neck’.  A single Coppa is usually at least 1kg (2lb 2oz) and has great marbling which gives it, it’s delicious flavour and melt in the mouth qualities.

Coppa is produced in a similar way to Prosciutto and our own Ross-shire Air-dried ham but these come from the hind leg of a pig.  All these products come from a single whole muscle.

How is it made ….

As with all our whole muscle products Coppa is first dry cured with salt and spices.  After the curing period the Coppa is wrapped in a collagen casing and placed in our ageing room which maintains the perfect temperature and humidity conditions to dry and mature the meat.  When it has lost the required amount of weight (usually around 3-4 months) the collagen casing is removed from the Coppa.  At this stage it is ready for eating but develops an even better flavour if it is vacuum packed and matured for another couple of months.

Coppa is best served thinly sliced.

How can Coppa be used….

Coppa is great on a Charcuterie Board, as a pizza topping, in a salad or even in a sandwich.

It is most likely you will have received your coppa from us in a vacuum bag.  For best results we suggest allowing the Coppa to warm up to room temperature if you have been keeping it in the fridge.  This will make it easier to separate the slices and the flavours will be released.

Cook with Coppa….

As well as using in salads and on pizzas as suggested above we love to use any leftover slices of Coppa as topping on oven baked dishes such as a lovely creamy macaroni cheese.  We sprinkle grated cheese over the dish followed by torn up pieces of Coppa.  Pop it in the oven for 20-30 mins and the cheese will melt and the Coppa with turn into bursts of delicious crispy salty ham.