Coppa Vs Bresaola: What's The Difference Between These Deli Meats?

The world of Italian deli meats may be more diverse by itself than the whole rest of the deli section in your supermarket. It involves slices as similar as sopressata and salami or as different as coppa and bresaola. If your knowledge of Italian charcuterie and deli meats stops with the pepperoni and salami you get on your sub sandwich, staring it all down can be a bit overwhelming. Sure, there are sometimes labels (like "spicy") to guide you, but with dozens of fat-speckled cured pork products to choose from, it can be easy to throw your hands up and stick with what you know.

Coppa and bresaola are actually quite different in the world of Italian meats. Coppa is often called capicola in the U.S., where many Italian food names took their cues from Southern rather than Northern Italy. And yes, it's also called gabagool, which evolved as an American-accented way to pronounce the name capicola as it's spoken in Southern Italy. Coppa isn't as well-known as, say, salami, but like many Italian cold cuts, it's cured and sliced pork of a style that will be familiar to a lot of people.

On the other hand, bresaola has only recently made inroads in the larger U.S. market and may just be one of the most unique forms of Italian salumi. This is mostly because it comes from beef rather than pork. Regardless, it's worth learning about these underrated deli meats because either one is a spectacularly tasty choice for sandwiches and building the ultimate charcuterie board.

Coppa (or capicola) is actually a pretty diverse style of deli meat by itself. The style refers to a dry-cured and aged meat made with pork shoulder or neck. It is flavored with different seasonings depending on the region it was produced in before being packed in salt and aged for up to six months. Sliced coppa can be identified by the signature heavy fat marbling. Because it comes from the shoulder area, there are large streaks of fat that run throughout the meat, along with some finer marbling as well. Capicola actually looks similar to prosciutto when sliced, but the two are not the same, as prosciutto comes from the leg of a pig and is prepared and aged differently.

Because coppa has many regional variations in Italy, the flavor can vary quite a bit based on the recipe, but its high fat content means it will always be rich with a creamy texture. Some versions use wine, garlic, and herbs, while others might use more earthy spices like nutmeg and cloves. The most common options in the U.S. are usually divided between standard and hot versions, with the latter being popular in Southern Italy and incorporating flavors like Calabrian chiles. The combination of curing, seasonings, and fat makes coppa intensely flavorful, and it's often used in combination with more mild deli meat for an extra punch of flavor. Its intensity also makes it great thinly sliced by itself or used as a topping for pizza.

Of the more common Italian deli meats, bresaola may be the most unusual. While every other major style is made with different cuts of pork, bresaola is made with beef. But what also makes it special is that it's made from beef round roasts, a very lean portion of the cow. This makes it quite different from the fat-studded Italian cold cut options most people are familiar with. Bresaola hails from Northern Italy, close to the Swiss border, and is more similar to preserved meats from that mountainous region than other Italian creations. However, it is still prepared like many others, being cured in salt and spices and air-dried for at least 85 days. Once it's sliced, it boasts a distinct deep red coloring that also sets it apart from Italian deli meats made from pork.

Because of the lean cut it hails from, bresaola has a less rich, more mild flavor than other Italian deli meats, but it's still plenty delicious. The combination of the dry cure and seasonings that include pepper, juniper, and warm spices gives it an aromatic quality mixed with the meaty flavor of lean beef. That flavor is often paired with sharper ingredients that cut against it. One common preparation is to serve thinly sliced bresaola over a bed of peppery fresh arugula with lemon and olive oil, but pairing those thin slices with one of these salty, rich Italian cheeses is also a great way to experience it.