Guanciale

What Is Guanciale?

Guanciale is a fatty Italian cured meat product made by rubbing the pig's cheek and jowl area with salt, black pepper, and spices, then curing it for several weeks. Its name comes from the Italian word for "cheek" (guancia).

It has a high fat content and dense texture; when heated, its fat melts and clarifies, leaving an intense flavor. For this reason it's used more for cooking, adding depth to sauces and dishes, than for eating raw.

Nutritional Values of Guanciale

Guanciale, like cured fatty cold cuts, contains about 600 kcal of energy per 100 g with very high fat and sodium content; protein is moderate. Values are approximate, based on a similar product profile.

How Should Guanciale Be Consumed?

Since its fat and salt content is high, guanciale is used in small amounts as a flavoring; attention to portion size and frequency is recommended.

This information is general; guanciale is a food, not a substitute for medical treatment.

How to Choose Guanciale?

Good guanciale is a product with pinkish meat veins balanced by white fat, a rind coated with spices, and a clean, spiced smell. Yellowed or sour-smelling examples are not preferred.

• The fat should be white, meat veins should be pinkish
• The surface should be spiced, the smell clean
• A sour-moldy smell is undesirable

How Should Guanciale Be Stored?

Guanciale is stored in the refrigerator wrapped in paper or cloth, in a cool, dry section, for weeks; the cut surface should be covered to prevent it from drying out. The sliced form should be consumed more quickly.

Using Guanciale in the Kitchen

Guanciale is used most often in Italian pasta sauces; it's diced or cut into strips and rendered until its fat melts, and this fat forms the base of the sauce. Carbonara and amatriciana are the classic uses of this product.

How Is Guanciale Rendered?

Diced guanciale is slowly rendered in a cold pan over low heat until the fat melts and the edges turn crisp; the rendered fat is used as the aromatic base of the sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between guanciale and pancetta?

Guanciale is made from the pig's cheek, pancetta from the belly area. Guanciale is fattier and more intensely flavored; both can substitute for each other in sauces, but there's a difference in taste.

Is guanciale eaten raw?

It's a cured product; however, due to its intense fat and salt, it's mostly used cooked, with its fat rendered.

What can be used instead of guanciale?

When unavailable, pancetta or smoked fatty cold cuts can be used; though the taste isn't exactly the same, it gives a similar richness.