Daily Italian Recipe · Antipasto
Culatello & Parmigiano Tagliere
Culatello & Parmigiano Tagliere is an Emilia-Romagna antipasto built on exceptional cured pork, aged cheese and bread. This catalogue-ready version pairs Culatello di Zibello DOP with Grana Padano DOP, an authentic regional alternative to the unavailable Parmigiano Reggiano.
Total time
25 minutes
Serves
2 people
Difficulty
Easy — no cooking
Origin
Emilia-Romagna
Culatello di Zibello comes from the lowlands around Parma, where the humid climate near the Po River shapes its traditional maturation. Made from a prized section of the pork leg, it is served thinly sliced so its delicate aroma and supple texture can shine.
A tagliere is the board on which salumi and cheeses are presented, rather than a fixed recipe. Parmigiano Reggiano is a classic local companion; Grana Padano, also produced in parts of Emilia-Romagna, offers a different but authentic pairing.
Ingredients
Method
- 1
1. Take off the chill
Remove the culatello and cheese from the refrigerator 15–20 minutes before serving. Open the culatello pack according to its instructions and keep both ingredients loosely covered in a cool room, away from sunlight.
- 2
2. Prepare the board
Use a clean, dry wooden board or a large serving plate. Leave enough space to keep the cheese and culatello in separate groups rather than piling everything together.
- 3
3. Break the cheese
Remove any hard rind from the 100 g cheese portion. Use a short cheese knife to break the cheese into irregular, bite-sized chunks, following its natural grain rather than cutting uniform cubes.
- 4
4. Arrange the culatello
Gently separate the slices without tearing them. Lay them in loose folds beside the cheese, leaving their delicate fat intact and avoiding tightly rolled shapes.
- 5
5. Add bread and serve
Cut the 120 g bread into slices approximately 1 cm thick and place alongside the board. Serve immediately, without added salt, oil or dressing, tasting the culatello and cheese separately before combining them with bread.
Chef's secret
Temperature matters more than garnish: a brief rest out of the refrigerator softens the culatello’s fat and releases its aroma. Keep the slices loose and the bread plain so neither texture nor flavour is overwhelmed.
Did you know?
Culatello is made from a selected muscle section of the hind leg, not the entire leg. Its traditional pear-like shape comes from casing and tying that cut before maturation.
Common mistakes
- Serving everything refrigerator-cold, which mutes the culatello’s aroma and firms its fat.
- Cutting the cheese into neat cubes instead of breaking it into irregular chunks that reveal its grain.
- Adding salt, balsamic glaze or strong garnishes that overpower the delicate cured meat.
Storage & reheating
Keep unused ingredients separate. Refrigerate opened culatello promptly at 4°C or below in a tightly sealed container and use within 24 hours, or sooner if the label directs. Wrap the cheese in cheese paper, place in a covered container and refrigerate according to its label. Keep bread airtight at room temperature for 1 day or freeze it separately. This board needs no reheating; bring out only the portion you intend to serve. Do not leave perishables unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C.
Shop the recipe
Delivered across Hong Kong by SF Express or Lalamove.
FAQ
Can I make the original pairing with Parmigiano Reggiano?
Yes. Use 100 g Parmigiano Reggiano, ideally aged around 24 months, instead of the Grana Padano. Parmigiano Reggiano is not in the current live catalogue, so this version uses the available Grana Padano DOP and identifies the substitution explicitly.
Should I soak or moisten the sliced culatello?
No. These ready-sliced portions need only gentle separation and a short rest out of the refrigerator. Preparation methods sometimes used for whole matured culatello are not appropriate for packaged slices.
Can I order the featured products for Hong Kong delivery?
Yes. The Italian Club Hong Kong offers the listed culatello and Grana Padano for delivery across Hong Kong via SF Express and Lalamove. Source the plain bread separately.