COPPOLA on BASILICATA
ITALY
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
On BERNALDA
Francis talks of his Nonno, Bernalda
and his hotel, Palazzo Margherita
Friday, April 29, 2022
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
How to Make Chicken Parm - Recipe
CHICKEN PARM
GIANNI Makes CHICKEN CUTLETS
And CHICKEN PARMIGIANA
Gianni making CHICKEN PARM
SUNDAY SAUCE
TOMATO SAUCE
CHICKEN PARM
MEATBALLS & MORE
CHICKEN PARM SANDWICH
Monday, April 11, 2022
Clemenza Teaches Us How to Make Sauce
Pete Clemenza shows Michael Corleone how to make Sauce
The GODFATHER
It's been 50 years. Fifty Years since the release of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, a movie considered one of the greatest movies of all-time. An undisputed masterpiece by Coppola. The movie taught us many lessons, about : family, loyalty, respect, and Sauce. To be more specific Sunday Sauce, aka Gravy. The scene has Sonny Corleone, the acting Boss of the Corleone Crime Family (after his father Vito was shot), with Corleone Capo Peter Clemenza, Michael Corleone (AL Pacino - Sonny's younger brother) and other Corleone Crime Family associates all sitting around a table, eating Chinese Take-Out Food and discussing their strategy against Virgil Sollozzo and other potential enemies.
As everyone sits around, Clemenza says to Michael, "Come over here kid. Learn Something. You never know, you might have to cook for 20 guys someday. You see? You start out with a little oil. The you fry some garlic. Then you throw in some tomatoes, some tomato paste. You fry it, you make sure it doesn't stick. You bring it to a boil. You shove in all your Sausage, your Meatballs. Huh? Add a little wine. And a little bit of sugar. And that's my trick."
Michael watches. Sonny comes over and tells Clemenza, "Why don't you cut the crap. I got more important things for you to do."
The rest is history. The film was the highest grossing movie of 1972, earning $20 Million Dollars at the box office. The movie won universal acclaim from critics and audiences and praise for performances by Al Pacino (Michael Corleone), Marlon Brando (Don Vito Corleone), James Caan and other cast members, including Richard Castellano as Pete Clemenza. After its great success, the movie was a catalyst for the careers of Pacino and Coppola (Director / Screenwriter).
The Godfather is a movie loved by millions, especially serious movie buffs and those of the Italian community.
CLEMENZA TAUGHT US HOW to MAKE SAUCE
Yes Clemenza taught many how to make Sauce, which is also known as Gravy, and there is a hot debate over that subject in itself. Depending on your own Italian-American family, where your family comes from in Italy, and where they live in America (New York, Jersey, Philly, etc. ) these are the factors that determining whether you call it Sauce or Gravy. It really doesn't matter what you call it, whether it's Gravy, Sunday Sauce, Sauce, or Sunday Gravy, what matters is that it is delicious.
Yes we learn a few things from Clemenza, like frying the Garlic in Olive Oil, then frying the Tomatoes and Tomato Paste before you "shove in your Sausage and Meatballs. Add a little wine. A little Sugar," and that's Clemenza's trick. Well many Italian-Americans know these things, but many learned a thing or tow from CLemenza, especially the Sugar thing. All good Italians know that you add the sugar to cut a the acidity of the tomatoes, thus balancing thing out.
One big thing, is that, in the movie, Clemenza does not give us any measurements, or recipe for the Meatballs, though we do know he used two cans of tomatoes, and two cans of tomato paste, the rest is up to you, or you can go by one of a multitude of recipes, and the one most excepted, and that is Clemenza's Mob War Godfather Sunday Sauce, in the book Sunday Sauce by best selling Italian Cookbook author Daniel Bellino "Z," which we feel is the best recipe as well.
So, if you've never made it, it's high time you do. Learn how to make Clemenza's Sauce, or any other including the other great one in Mafia Cinematic History, the Prison Sauce ( reicpe in Sunday Sauce) in Martin Scorsese's film Goodfellas. We love them both of these versions of Italian-America's most beloved and important dish of all, and that is Sunday Sauce (Gravy).
"Make some today" !!!
SUNDAY SAUCE
WHEN ITALIAN AMERICANS COOK
RECIPES For CLEMENZA GODFATHER SAUCE
GOODFELLS PRISON SAUCE
MEATBALLS - BRACIOLE and MORE
CLEMENZA
GODFATHER SUNDAY SAUCE
"GRAVY"
"DON'T FORGET The CANNOLIS"
Sunday, April 3, 2022
Frank Sinatra Little Frankie Coffee Mug tshirt
LITTLE FRANK SINATRA
LITTLE FRANKIE SINATRA
FRANK SINATRA
LITTLE FRANKIE
Friday, April 1, 2022
Big Night Bolognese Sunday Sauce Pasta Recipes
POSITANO
T-SHIRTS - ART - COFFEE MUGS - GIFTS
POSITANO !!!
The SNEAKER
The BEST of ITALY
SOPHIA LOREN
With PIZZA
AVAILABLE in 8 VIBRANT COLORS
POSITANO The AMALFI COAST
TRAVEL GUIDE / COOKBOOK
"DREAMING of POSITANO"
"DREAMING of POSITANO"
MONA LISA
"SHE'S ITALIAN"
Yes, most people might think she's French. Hell no. The young womean, Lisa Gherardini was Italian, from Tuscany. She was married to Franceso del Giacondo who commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to paint his wife in 1517. It is beleived that da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa in the town of Greve, about 18 miles south of Florence, at what is now the Italian Wine estate of Vignamaggio in Greve, in the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany.
The Mona Lisa Italian: Gioconda is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world". The painting's novel qualities include the subject's enigmatic expression, the monumentality of the composition, the subtle modelling of forms, and the atmospheric illusionism.
The painting is probably of the Italian noblewoman Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. It is painted in oil on a white Lombardy poplar panel. Leonardo never gave the painting to the Giocondo family, and later it is believed he left it in his will to his favored apprentice Salaì. It had been believed to have been painted between 1503 and 1506; however, Leonardo may have continued working on it as late as 1517. It was acquired by King Francis I of France and is now the property of the French Republic. It has been on permanent display at the Louvre in Paris since 1797.
The Mona Lisa is one of the most valuable paintings in the world. It holds the Guinness World Record for the highest known painting insurance valuation in history at US$100 million in 1962 (equivalent to $870 million in 2021).
BIG NIGHT
BOLOGNESE
SUNDAY SAUCE
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Gabagool !!!
TONY & HIS GABAGOOL
If you're a fan of The Sopranos, you've likely adopted the term "gabagool" after hearing the clan discuss their love of cured meats every few episodes. If you were to order gabagool at a typical restaurant, you may receive some furrowed brows, but if you're in a region with a large Italian-American population, like New Jersey, they'll have a platter of capicola in front of you in no time.
Capicola, which SBS describes as a "moist and tender" cured meat made from the neck of a pig, is a delicious addition to charcuterie platters and antipasto, and is often served alongside other Italian meats such as prosciutto and salami. While many Americans have had a taste of this salty cured meat before, they probably don't introduce it to their party guests as gabagool unless they're Italian-American. So, where in the world did this word originate from and what does it actually mean?
The word gabagool was born when a variety of Italian dialects merged, but what it translates to in Italian is: nothing. Atlas Obscura confirms that gabagool is just a mutation of the word capicola, spoken with a very specific accent.
Naples-born linguistics professor Mariapaola D'Imperio explains to Atlas Obscura that Italian linguistics is far from straightforward. The Italian language, D'Imperio notes, was initially a smorgasbord of multiple dialects. Each old Italian "kingdom" spoke its own variation of the language up until unification, when Italian officials picked one language, known as Standard Italian, to make communication easier.
Italian-Americans — those responsible for the notorious term gabagool — speak an Italian that is nowhere near Standard Italian, claims Atlas Obscura. "Instead it's a construction of the frozen shards left over from languages that don't even really exist in Italy any more, with minimal intervention from modern Italian," writes Atlas Obscura's Dan Nosowitz. Regardless of the language's progression, Italian-Americans on the East Coast can all agree that gabagool is capicola.
Over the years the Italian language in America has morphed into something new, and Italian-Americans continue to celebrate their heritage by not always speaking the language, but as Nosowitz puts it, "putting on an antiquated accent for a dead sub-language to order some cheese." Or, of course, cured meat.
That said, we're here to talk about capicola. It's just one of many types of cured meats, and it's probably one you've heard mentioned a lot on a certain sort of television show. Chances are pretty good you may have heard about it more than you've had it, and it's definitely not a more mainstream sort of cured meat, like bacon. So what, exactly, is it? It is as unhealthy — and delicious — as bacon? What makes it different from all the other types of cured meats out there? Is it as authentically Italian as it seems, or is it just pretending?
Let's find out!
Let's clear up a big one here — what exactly are you eating when you take a bite of capicola? It's actually impressively specific.
We'll start with where it comes from, and according to DePalma Salumi, capicola (or capocollo) is one of a number of types of cured Italian meats. This one comes specifically from the area of the pig between the neck and the fourth or fifth rib of the pork shoulder. That's what the word means, in fact: "capo" means "head" and "collo" means "neck." Academia Barilla gets even more specific and says the pigs of choice are at least eight months old and weigh at least 300 pounds. Traditionally, the best of the best comes from large breeds typically raised in the south of Italy.
In case you're wondering what makes this part of these pigs so special, SBS says it's all because of the fat ratio. Capicola is 30 percent fat and 70 percent lean, and that means it's both tender and moist, even after it's been cured.
Cured meats are nothing new, and capicola definitely isn't new. According to Academia Barilla, capicola goes back to the era of the colonies of the Magna Graecia... but what does that mean?
For that answer, we'll need to turn to the Ancient History Encyclopedia. The Magna Graecia were areas along the coast of southern Italy that were colonized by the Greeks between the 8th and 5th centuries BC. We did say it's been around a long, long time!
These ancient Greeks were attracted to the area by the particularly fertile lands and its perfect position within a larger trade network, and when they settled there, they made it completely Greek. Not only did they bring things like the Olympic Games
, but they also brought stuffed pork sausages. That kicked off the start of the area's deep love of all things pork, and they're still known for their large-breed pigs and their pork products today — including capicola.
CAPICOLA !
aka "GABAGOOL" !!!
Capicola, coppa, capocollo... which one is it?
These ancient Greeks were attracted to the area by the particularly fertile lands and its perfect position within a larger trade network, and when they settled there, they made it completely Greek. Not only did they bring things like the Olympic Games, but they also brought stuffed pork sausages. That kicked off the start of the area's deep love of all things pork, and they're still known for their large-breed pigs and their pork products today — including capicola.
Capicola, coppa, capocollo... which one is it?
"F - YOU GABAGOOL"
The Reason Some People Refer To Capicola As Gabagool
If you're a fan of The Sopranos, you've likely adopted the term "gabagool" after hearing the clan discuss their love of cured meats every few episodes. If you were to order Gabagool at a typical restaurant, you may receive some furrowed brows, but if you're in a region with a large Italian-American population, like New Jersey, they'll have a platter of capicola in front of you in no time.
Capicola, which SBS describes as a "moist and tender" cured meat made from the neck of a pig, is a delicious addition to charcuterie platters and antipasto, and is often served alongside other Italian meats such as prosciutto and salami. While many Americans have had a taste of this salty cured meat before, they probably don't introduce it to their party guests as gabagool unless they're Italian-American. So, where in the world did this word originate from and what does it actually mean?
The word gabagool was born when a variety of Italian dialects merged, but what it translates to in Italian is: nothing. Atlas Obscura confirms that gabagool is just a mutation of the word capicola, spoken with a very specific accent.
The Italian-American dialect has a complex history
Naples-born linguistics professor Mariapaola D'Imperio explains to Atlas Obscura that Italian linguistics is far from straightforward. The Italian language, D'Imperio notes, was initially a smorgasbord of multiple dialects. Each old Italian "kingdom" spoke its own variation of the language up until unification, when Italian officials picked one language, known as Standard Italian, to make communication easier.
Italian-Americans — those responsible for the notorious term gabagool — speak an Italian that is nowhere near Standard Italian, claims Atlas Obscura. "Instead it's a construction of the frozen shards left over from languages that don't even really exist in Italy any more, with minimal intervention from modern Italian," writes Atlas Obscura's Dan Nosowitz. Regardless of the language's progression, Italian-Americans on the East Coast can all agree that gabagool is capicola.
Over the years the Italian language in America has morphed into something new, and Italian-Americans continue to celebrate their heritage by not always speaking the language, but as Nosowitz puts it, "putting on an antiquated accent for a dead sub-language to order some cheese." Or, of course, cured meat.
There's no denying that cured meats are delicious. Whether you're piling them on a sandwich or serving them up on a platter, there's just something about them that makes you crave more. But unfortunately, there have been numerous studies on just how bad for you processed meats really are (via Science Direct).
That said, we're here to talk about capicola. It's just one of many types of cured meats, and it's probably one you've heard mentioned a lot on a certain sort of television show. Chances are pretty good you may have heard about it more than you've had it, and it's definitely not a more mainstream sort of cured meat, like bacon. So what, exactly, is it? It is as unhealthy — and delicious — as bacon? What makes it different from all the other types of cured meats out there? Is it as authentically Italian as it seems, or is it just pretending? Let's find out!
What is capicola?
Let's clear up a big one here — what exactly are you eating when you take a bite of capicola? It's actually impressively specific.
We'll start with where it comes from, and according to DePalma Salumi, capicola (or capocollo) is one of a number of types of cured Italian meats. This one comes specifically from the area of the pig between the neck and the fourth or fifth rib of the pork shoulder. That's what the word means, in fact: "capo" means "head" and "collo" means "neck." Academia Barilla gets even more specific and says the pigs of choice are at least eight months old and weigh at least 300 pounds. Traditionally, the best of the best comes from large breeds typically raised in the south of Italy.
In case you're wondering what makes this part of these pigs so special, SBS says it's all because of the fat ratio. Capicola is 30 percent fat and 70 percent lean, and that means it's both tender and moist, even after it's been cured.
TONY SOPRANOS GABAGOOL
SANDWICH
Capicola has been around for almost forever.
Cured meats are nothing new, and capicola definitely isn't new. According to Academia Barilla, capicola goes back to the era of the colonies of the Magna Graecia... but what does that mean?
For that answer, we'll need to turn to the Ancient History Encyclopedia. The Magna Graecia were areas along the coast of southern Italy that were colonized by the Greeks between the 8th and 5th centuries BC. We did say it's been around a long, long time!
These ancient Greeks were attracted to the area by the particularly fertile lands and its perfect position within a larger trade network, and when they settled there, they made it completely Greek. Not only did they bring things like the Olympic Games, but they also brought stuffed pork sausages. That kicked off the start of the area's deep love of all things pork, and they're still known for their large-breed pigs and their pork products today — including capicola.
Capicola, coppa, capocollo... which one is it?
There are a lot of different terms you've probably heard used to refer to various meats, and a lot of them sound very, very similar to "capicola." Let's clear up any potential confusion with help from DiBruno Bros.
At the root of the confusion is the fact that many regions in Italy have their own version of capicola, and some are very specific just to that area. (Think of champagne — the real stuff only comes from the Champagne region in France, otherwise it's more accurately described as sparkling wine.) For example, Coppa Piacentina involves stuffing the meat into a casing of intestine, and Coppa di Calabria uses wine in the process... and they're both kinds of Italian capicola. The version that's made in America is a little different, though, and it's made with either red pepper or black peppercorn.
Then, there's ham capocollo, which is also called ham-capi and it's also a different thing. That's essentially a spiced and boiled ham, and it's said to be a cross between ham and capicola. Confusing, right?
There are still other types of coppa/capocollo/capicola, says DeLallo. The region of Umbria uses coriander and fennel, while Basilicata traditionally uses hot pepper powder, and their version is typically not as salty or smoky as the stuff from Calabria. The long and short of it is yes, there are different varieties and they come from different regions.
What makes Capicola different from other thin, cured meats — like Prosciutto?
Cured meats all go through a similar process of washing, salting, and drying... so what makes capicola different from other thin-sliced, cured meats?
Essentially, it's where the meat comes from on the pig that makes it different, says the Huffington Post. Take prosciutto. That comes from the pig's hind leg, and it cures for anywhere from nine months to two years. Speck also comes from the hind leg, but it's made using different spices and it's cold smoked after it's cured. Speck, prosciutto, and capicola can all be used pretty interchangeably, but they're going to taste different and capicola is from an entirely different part of the pig.
What about soppressata? That can come from pretty much any part of the pig, and it can even include "leftover" bits like the head and tongue. Serrano ham? That's Spanish, and it can only be called that if it's from a certain breed of pig, the Landrace. (Similarly, Iberico ham has to come from Iberico pigs.)
The confusing part isn't over just yet — it's also worth talking about the two different ways capicola is made. Bear with us.
Technically, says The Daring Gourmet, capicola (or capocollo) refers to the thin-sliced neck and shoulder meat that's been cooked. When that piece of neck and shoulder meat is dry-cured, it's more appropriately called coppa... although in the U.S., the terms are often used interchangeably. If you order capicola at your local deli counter, you might just get the dry-cured stuff.
So, what does it mean when we talk about the process of dry-curing? Again, this is also different based on region and tradition, but essentially, DeLallo says that the process involves taking your piece of meat, adding salt and other spices, then putting into a natural casing, tying it up, and letting it age for at least several months.
And here's why Italy is so good at making these types of meats. According to Academia Barilla, the combination of humidity and temperature found in particular areas of Italy make it perfect for slow aging, as there's little to no risk of the development of mold.
The Reason Some People Refer To Capicola As Gabagool
If you're a fan of The Sopranos, you've likely adopted the term "Gabagool" after hearing the clan discuss their love of cured meats every few episodes. If you were to order gabagool at a typical restaurant, you may receive some furrowed brows, but if you're in a region with a large Italian-American population, like New Jersey, they'll have a platter of capicola in front of you in no time.
Capicola, which SBS describes as a "moist and tender" cured meat made from the neck of a pig, is a delicious addition to charcuterie platters and antipasto, and is often served alongside other Italian meats such as prosciutto and salami. While many Americans have had a taste of this salty cured meat before, they probably don't introduce it to their party guests as gabagool unless they're Italian-American. So, where in the world did this word originate from and what does it actually mean?
The word gabagool was born when a variety of Italian dialects merged, but what it translates to in Italian is: nothing. Atlas Obscura confirms that gabagool is just a mutation of the word capicola, spoken with a very specific accent.
The Italian-American dialect has a complex history
Shutterstock
Naples-born linguistics professor Mariapaola D'Imperio explains to Atlas Obscura that Italian linguistics is far from straightforward. The Italian language, D'Imperio notes, was initially a smorgasbord of multiple dialects. Each old Italian "kingdom" spoke its own variation of the language up until unification, when Italian officials picked one language, known as Standard Italian, to make communication easier.
Italian-Americans — those responsible for the notorious term gabagool — speak an Italian that is nowhere near Standard Italian, claims Atlas Obscura. "Instead it's a construction of the frozen shards left over from languages that don't even really exist in Italy any more, with minimal intervention from modern Italian," writes Atlas Obscura's Dan Nosowitz. Regardless of the language's progression, Italian-Americans on the East Coast can all agree that gabagool is capicola.
Over the years the Italian language in America has morphed into something new, and Italian-Americans continue to celebrate their heritage by not always speaking the language, but as Nosowitz puts it, "putting on an antiquated accent for a dead sub-language to order some cheese." Or, of course, cured meat.
Recommended
A Plate of CAPICOLA
There's no denying that cured meats are delicious. Whether you're piling them on a sandwich or serving them up on a platter, there's just something about them that makes you crave more. But unfortunately, there have been numerous studies on just how bad for you processed meats really are (via Science Direct).
That said, we're here to talk about capicola. It's just one of many types of cured meats, and it's probably one you've heard mentioned a lot on a certain sort of television show. Chances are pretty good you may have heard about it more than you've had it, and it's definitely not a more mainstream sort of cured meat, like bacon. So what, exactly, is it? It is as unhealthy — and delicious — as bacon? What makes it different from all the other types of cured meats out there? Is it as authentically Italian as it seems, or is it just pretending? Let's find out!
TONY & PAULIE
GABAGOOL PORK STORE STICKERS
STICK THEM on YOUR FRIG, SKATEBOARD, COMPUTER, "WHATEVER" ??
What is Capicola?
Let's clear up a big one here — what exactly are you eating when you take a bite of capicola? It's actually impressively specific.
We'll start with where it comes from, and according to DePalma Salumi, capicola (or capocollo) is one of a number of types of cured Italian meats. This one comes specifically from the area of the pig between the neck and the fourth or fifth rib of the pork shoulder. That's what the word means, in fact: "capo" means "head" and "collo" means "neck." Academia Barilla gets even more specific and says the pigs of choice are at least eight months old and weigh at least 300 pounds. Traditionally, the best of the best comes from large breeds typically raised in the south of Italy.
In case you're wondering what makes this part of these pigs so special, SBS says it's all because of the fat ratio. Capicola is 30 percent fat and 70 percent lean, and that means it's both tender and moist, even after it's been cured.
Capicola has been around for almost forever
Shutterstock
Cured meats are nothing new, and capicola definitely isn't new. According to Academia Barilla, capicola goes back to the era of the colonies of the Magna Graecia... but what does that mean?
For that answer, we'll need to turn to the Ancient History Encyclopedia. The Magna Graecia were areas along the coast of southern Italy that were colonized by the Greeks between the 8th and 5th centuries BC. We did say it's been around a long, long time!
These ancient Greeks were attracted to the area by the particularly fertile lands and its perfect position within a larger trade network, and when they settled there, they made it completely Greek. Not only did they bring things like the Olympic Games, but they also brought stuffed pork sausages. That kicked off the start of the area's deep love of all things pork, and they're still known for their large-breed pigs and their pork products today — including capicola.
Capicola, coppa, capocollo... which one is it?
Shutterstock
There are a lot of different terms you've probably heard used to refer to various meats, and a lot of them sound very, very similar to "capicola." Let's clear up any potential confusion with help from DiBruno Bros.
At the root of the confusion is the fact that many regions in Italy have their own version of capicola, and some are very specific just to that area. (Think of champagne — the real stuff only comes from the Champagne region in France, otherwise it's more accurately described as sparkling wine.) For example, Coppa Piacentina involves stuffing the meat into a casing of intestine, and Coppa di Calabria uses wine in the process... and they're both kinds of Italian capicola. The version that's made in America is a little different, though, and it's made with either red pepper or black peppercorn.
Then, there's ham capocollo, which is also called ham-capi and it's also a different thing. That's essentially a spiced and boiled ham, and it's said to be a cross between ham and capicola. Confusing, right?
There are still other types of coppa/capocollo/capicola, says DeLallo. The region of Umbria uses coriander and fennel, while Basilicata traditionally uses hot pepper powder, and their version is typically not as salty or smoky as the stuff from Calabria. The long and short of it is yes, there are different varieties and they come from different regions.
What makes capicola different from other thin, cured meats — like prosciutto?
Cured meats all go through a similar process of washing, salting, and drying... so what makes capicola different from other thin-sliced, cured meats?
Essentially, it's where the meat comes from on the pig that makes it different, says the Huffington Post. Take prosciutto. That comes from the pig's hind leg, and it cures for anywhere from nine months to two years. Speck also comes from the hind leg, but it's made using different spices and it's cold smoked after it's cured. Speck, prosciutto, and capicola can all be used pretty interchangeably, but they're going to taste different and capicola is from an entirely different part of the pig.
What about soppressata? That can come from pretty much any part of the pig, and it can even include "leftover" bits like the head and tongue. Serrano ham? That's Spanish, and it can only be called that if it's from a certain breed of pig, the Landrace. (Similarly, Iberico ham has to come from Iberico pigs.)
Capicola may or may not be cooked
The confusing part isn't over just yet — it's also worth talking about the two different ways capicola is made. Bear with us.
Technically, says The Daring Gourmet, capicola (or capocollo) refers to the thin-sliced neck and shoulder meat that's been cooked. When that piece of neck and shoulder meat is dry-cured, it's more appropriately called coppa... although in the U.S., the terms are often used interchangeably. If you order capicola at your local deli counter, you might just get the dry-cured stuff.
We did say it was confusing!
So, what does it mean when we talk about the process of dry-curing? Again, this is also different based on region and tradition, but essentially, DeLallo says that the process involves taking your piece of meat, adding salt and other spices, then putting into a natural casing, tying it up, and letting it age for at least several months.
And here's why Italy is so good at making these types of meats. According to Academia Barilla, the combination of humidity and temperature found in particular areas of Italy make it perfect for slow aging, as there's little to no risk of the development of mold.
How to make capicola.
Capicola might be hard to find, depending on where you live, and it also might be pretty expensive. But there's good news: you can absolutely make it at home.
All you'll need is a pork shoulder, whatever seasonings you like (and since you're doing it at home, there's no need to be traditional), a curing salt mix, and casings. After seasoning your pork shoulder (with the marbling, without the fat cap), there are a few things you can do. You can wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and let it sit in your fridge for a few weeks before putting it into your casing, or you can cover it in salt and let it sit for one day for each two pounds of weight.
Either way, it's the aging process that's the real key here. You'll need somewhere to hang and age your capicola for months before you actually get to cut into it, and you're going to want a place that holds a relatively high humidity but temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit (via Sausage Maker). Complicated? A bit. A long process? Very. But rewarding? Absolutely.
CAPOCOLLO
So whay do they call it GABAGOOL ?
If you know capicola from The Sopranos or The Office, you probably know it as "Gabagool" That's... not even really close to the real word, so where the heck did this come from?
Atlas Obscura says it's because of a weird phenomenon: the development of an accent that's not just regional, but it's specific to the descendents of a group of Italian immigrants. The development of language in Italy is so confusing that even professional linguists aren't sure what the heck happened, and we're definitely not here to argue about linguistics, so we'll talk basics.
Essentially, most Italian immigrants came from different regions in southern Italy, and even when they settled in the U.S., they were still divided into regional groups. And those groups spoke different versions of their native language. When they came together in the U.S., bits and pieces of the languages held on, and formed a sort of Italian-American Italian language.
When that happened, letters started taking on different sounds and inflections. Without getting too complicated, it's all about accents and whether or not a letter's sound comes from your vocal cords or your mouth. The hard "c" in "capicola" became a "g," "p" shifted into a "b." "o" got elongated to "ooh," and — like in so many other words — the last vowel disappeared.
Essentially, most Italian immigrants came from different regions in southern Italy, and even when they settled in the U.S., they were still divided into regional groups. And those groups spoke different versions of their native language. When they came together in the U.S., bits and pieces of the languages held on, and formed a sort of Italian-American Italian language.
Capicola can be made anywhere, but there's actually a few different types that are extra special. They've been awarded a Protected designation of origin (PDO) status, and that basically means that particular name can only be used if the entire product is made in a particular area or region.
Most capicola retains a heavy to slight smoky flavor, and DiBruno Bros. – who only carries capicola made in America — says that there are two different types of flavor profiles you might expect. It comes down to whatever spice mixture the maker decides to use, and while there's some wiggle room in specifics, most American capicola is either made with red pepper — which will make it hot and spicy — or with black peppercorns, which will make it more on the sweeter side.
Flavors are so varied that before you pick out a nice-looking side of capicola, you should definitely peek at the ingredients to get an idea of what flavor profile you're looking at. Take some do-it-yourself recipes: While some call for paprika, chipotle powder, juniper, chili powder, and nutmeg, others might call for fennel, anise, red pepper, and coriander to compliment the base of black pepper. Bottom line? There's one out there that's perfect for you!
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