How This Italian Larderia Produces 22,000 Kilograms of Salume a Year | Eater

"Established in 1930 and the oldest lardo producer in Colonnata, this workshop specializes exclusively in traditional Colonnata lardo and prides itself on craftsmanship and passion. The product is made from strips of pork cured with salt, rosemary and a blend of 20 approved spices and must legally age for six months; the production includes a distinctive beating of large pieces of meat that seasoned staff such as Carlo Danesi and Fabio Testi say makes properly aged Colonnata lardo immediately recognizable. Curing takes place in airtight Carrara marble conche—each holding roughly 680 kilograms—made from the region’s veinous white marble (about 98% calcium carbonate); the facility houses 22 basins in its main lab and nine more in a secondary space. The process is labor-intensive, with hundreds of kilos of meat transported, cleaned, trimmed, weighed, beaten, massaged, salted, seasoned and carefully layered in the conca before final rinsing, trimming, packaging and labeling, and the finished lardo is used in local family recipes such as the larded rabbit from owner Maria Roberta Germani." - Annie Harrigan