Porchetta

Porchetta is a boned pork roast from central Italy, rolled around a stuffing of herbs, garlic and spices and roasted whole. It is sold by the slice from roadside stalls and delicatessens as well as served at tables.

What it really is

Porchetta is traditionally made from a whole young pig, around 40 to 50 kg live weight, that is boned, seasoned inside with salt, black pepper, wild fennel, rosemary and garlic, rolled and tied, then roasted slowly over wood or in a wood-fired oven until the outside is crisp and the meat is tender. The regional styles differ: the version from Ariccia, south of Rome, is the best known, and the versions from Umbria and Tuscany use different herb blends and cuts. Some producers use only pork belly and loin rather than a whole animal.

It is distinct from a plain roast pork loin or a pork shoulder with crackling, because the flesh is rolled around the stuffing so that the herbs run through every slice and the skin is kept on the outside to crisp. It is also different from a porchetta-style roll made with a cheaper cut, which may be called porchetta on a menu without following the classic method.

How it's served

• Sliced thinly or in thick pieces and eaten cold or warm, often in a bread roll as a sandwich.
• Served on a board at a sagra or street stall, with the crackling kept on each slice.
• Presented as a main course with roasted potatoes, beans or a green salad.
• Eaten with a squeeze of lemon or a little of the cooking juices spooned over.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the pork cut and the stuffing, for example "porchetta of free-range pork belly with wild fennel, rosemary and garlic".
• State the presence of herbs and garlic in the stuffing; no common allergens are added unless bread or breadcrumbs are used in the stuffing.
• Say whether the dish is served hot or cold, and whether the skin is crackling.
• If the porchetta is a regional style such as Ariccia, state the style on the menu.