The 2 Main Types Of Pancetta, Explained

For meat lovers, pancetta is a Swiss army knife of an ingredient that can quickly build flavor into pasta dishes and other favorite recipes. Much like bacon, pancetta is made from the meat of a pig's belly, though it goes through a different curing process. While bacon is cured in nitrates and salt, pancetta can offer additional flavors of nutmeg, black peppercorns, and cloves. Cuts are first salted and then marinated in brine that can be seasoned with spices like rosemary and garlic. The meat is left in humid environments with low temperatures.

Pancetta can be eaten uncooked on charcuterie boards and can be presented as bite-sized cubes or thinly sliced pieces of meat. Unlike bacon's crispy texture, it can be smooth, almost silky in texture. Under the umbrella of pancetta, you'll find several different varieties for purchase, including two main ones — arrotolata and stesa. Depending on your intention for serving and the recipes you're cooking up, you may opt for one or the other. But what sets them apart from each other?

Arrotolata, or rolled pancetta, are finely sliced pieces that can be plated easily onto a charcuterie board. For the rolled versions, after the meat is brined and salted, it is manipulated so that the pig fat is visible on the outside of the pancetta, then packaged in a tight casing and smoked should the preparer want to impart a smokier flavor. Rolled pieces of pancetta can be left for several weeks until properly cured.

Rolled pancetta can have centers that add flavor to the meat, like pancetta coppata, which is rolled around coppa — a cured meat you shouldn't overlook either. Pancetta affumicata is cured with salt and smoked to deliver a rich taste akin to the slices of bacon you may be familiar with while still maintaining a tender texture. These slices can also be easily folded up into a sandwich or stacked on top of a pile of greens for a satisfying, easy to serve salad.

Stesa, the word for flat, refers to the pancetta that is used to dice up, cook, and toss into recipes. These elongated pieces are first trimmed then dry-salted and spiced before they are ready to be cured. Since these pieces of pork meat offer white, fatty layers, the taste can be soft and almost delicate in flavor. Stesa can be sliced thinly or cubed, depending on the intended recipe and use. Pasta dishes, casseroles, and savory pies are easy destinations for this kind of meat. 

Whether you're whipping up a creamy and comforting gnocchi dish or pairing pancetta with asparagus for a fresh pasta dinner, taking a slab of stesa pancetta home to your kitchen can be an instant upgrade. Among its many applications, you can also whip up a garlicky pasta dish that combines pancetta and mushrooms. 

However you choose to serve pancetta, carnivores are sure to appreciate the rich flavor that each piece of pancetta offers — and may come to prefer this meat when given the option of choosing between bacon and these spiced products.