Calabria, among the Italian regions overlooking the sea, is maybe the one whose gastronomic culture is most bonded to its hinterland. Decise, strong tastes among which the ‘nduja stands out, typical Calabria speciality par excellence that finds its zenith of nativity in the 'Nduja of black calabrian pig - Consorzio Nero di Calabria, produced by the Consorzio Nero di Calabria, a well known reality among the food excellence. There are united many small producers that breed free range and transform this particular local pig species, closely related with the Iberian Patanegra, endowed with extraordinary tasting and organoleptic properties. The fine meat of this pork variety gives softness both to the taste and the consistency, besides containing omega 3 and omega 6 polyunsaturates that notoriously give benefits to health. Species and red hot chili pepper are perfectly balanced, so that they add a pleasant hot note exiting the natural black pork taste without covering it.

Today we're going to introduce Italian pata negra: the Raw ham from the Calabrian Black Pork. Its similarities with the Iberian cousin are several, starting from the race of the pigs, in fact both of them have black coat, that is to say an hybrid between a wild boar and a pig. What differentiates the Calabrian black pork from the others is the slow growth of the animal, this leads to a better maturation of the meat but also to better nutritional values of raw ham containing omega 3 and omega 6 acid fats. These can normally be found only in fishes and seaweeds, their action combined in the right measure is beneficial for our health among which helping the prevention of cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension. Those its have an exceptional capacity to adapt themselves even to the most ostile ground, this is the reason why they still eat (mainly acorns, chestnuts and cereals) and live in the wild for the most of time. The consortium Nero di Calabria has put together many small selected local farm animals with the aim to give the right value and visibility to a product that has lacked in promotion and making of a brand in the past, but is as good as (or also better) other more well known high quality meats. One most exceptional product is the Raw Ham: it can be season up to 36 months having all the olfactory and taste characteristics which make it resembles Iberian jamon, with a sweet and creamy fat which melts in your mouth incredibly. Nero di Calabria products are completely artisanal, challenging the request of complete homogenization and homogeneity of tastes requires by the global markets.