the black pork Casertano

We know that the best production of prosciutti and other pork meat come from the North of Italy, as very famous are Prosciutto di San Daniele and Prosciutto di Parma.

Only the happy few, anyway, know that in the South of Italy, in Campania, named Campania felix as it was a so happy land several thousands years ago, there is a very particular breed of pork, whose dark skin gives his the name of maiale nero (black pork) and, as its origin is in the area of Caserta, then casertano. So, maiale nero casertano.

I have to thank Mr. Coscia for the excellent dinner I had two weeks ago, before my departure for Savannah.

First course: paccheri lardiati with pancetta, small pieces of Caciocavallo Silano DOP in sauce made with pomodori San Marzano DOP.
The paccheri become lardiati thanks to the fat part of guanciale of maiale nero casertano.
We put this fat part, named lardo, in a large pot upon a very small flame and the lardo melts: a masterpiece !!
Then, we add the matchsticks of pancetta until they become crispy and then the tomatoes San Marzano DOP whose cooking time cannot be more than fifteen minutes.
The paccheri are ready to hug this rich sauce and after few minutes they are in the hot dishes.
Second course: cotechini of maiale nero casertano.
They cooked for fifteen minutes in the boiling water and then they slept for further fifteen minutes in the empty large pot used for the paccheri; a gimmick to give them a bit more of tomatoes with a very small flame. Only at last minute hot flame when in the pot fe drops of Aglianico del Taburno DOC fall.
Excellent dinner and, again, thanks to Mr. Coscia, the most important farmer of maiale nero casertano whose farm is also a pretty agritourism.
Look at its website: www.apegirasole.it .
We thank you very much, Mr. Coscia for your smart job focused on maiale nero casertano.