Pork Coppiette in a Modern Twist: The Classic Snack, Reimagined
Today we're talking with Carlo, a man who decided to leave his job behind and dedicate himself to a new business venture: giving new life and an international vision to a product typical of his homeland: pork coppiette.
Coppiette are traditionally a jerky-style snack made from meat cut into thin strips, marinated and then left to cure and dry naturally.
This kind of dish takes different forms and names depending on the region, but in Lazio it's famously known as "Coppiette".
1 – Hi Carlo, let's dive right into our interview: the first thing I want to know is why you chose jerky as your product?
Because it's part of a centuries-old tradition that unites every country in the world. Buffalo, cod, seal, salmon, beef, caribou, moose, reindeer, pork…every country has its own jerky tradition. We can lean on tradition and then put our own stamp on the recipes, giving them personality through flavor.
2 – Tell us a bit more about yourself and who you are, in short?
Carlo, 39 years old. After a lifetime spent doing another job, I dropped everything and followed my passion. My family embraced the project with me. Now I work three times as hard, but I wake up smiling.
3 – When exactly was the moment you decided to dive into this new business?
11 years ago. Someone had me try American jerky. I didn't love the taste at first, but I immediately started experimenting at home, putting together my first recipes. It was a passion, and then the chance came along to change my life and turn my passion into my job…so I threw my heart over the fence.
4 – I imagine starting a new business is full of obstacles and difficulties. What were the biggest ones for you?
Everything! I'm the first in Italy to produce packaged jerky. I had to do lab research, figure out packaging, study the process, find the machinery and the facility, get everything up to code, set quality standards, set up an in-house lab…it took me three years of full-time work, but I made it.
5 – And now, after so many years of business and success, what problems, if any, do you still run into?
When you start a new kind of production, being the only producer, with a different consumption model…planning a production is one thing, actually doing it is another. Pitching your products and building your customer base is yet another. It's the first year of business, it's been really tough, and the road is still uphill.
6 – If you could pick just one thing you love most about your job, right now, what would you tell us?
When I get an email, see a photo, a message from someone enjoying my product with real pleasure and satisfaction. For a craftsman, it's a priceless feeling.
7 – How did you learn to select the best meats, and how do you manage to create recipes that perfectly balance flavor and quality?
My grandmother raised one pig a year in the lower Mantua area, a female. Once a year we'd make salami and other pork products. Italy has an important heritage when it comes to researching and selecting pork. In the end I chose a breed developed for the Parma ham and San Daniele ham supply chain, raised, grown and slaughtered in Italy. It lets me control the whole chain from farmer to slaughterhouse, knowing everything about the life and origin of the raw material behind my recipes. I also follow an Italian supply chain, a slaughterhouse run by a cooperative of national pig farmers. I like to think I'm doing my part to add value to the products of our land. Perfecting the recipes was a process that took years…
8 – Forgive this deliberately provocative question, but what would you say to people who claim that "real coppiette" can only be made from donkey or horse meat?
Coppiette come from the pastoral tradition of transhumance. The oldest livestock were slaughtered and put to dry over the fireplace hood at the mountain pasture, or on tree branches in the oldest traditions. The animals of transhumance were cows, goats, sheep, horses and donkeys. The tradition of drying meat came to Italy from the Ottomans, where it was made with sheep, goat or beef, animals permitted by the Quran. Within Rome, the Jewish tradition holds that it should be made with buffalo…it's hard to say what the "true meat" of the tradition really is. I chose pork because I like it.
9 – So it's natural to ask: what do beef jerky and pork coppiette have in common?
The word "jerky" comes from a distortion of the Quechua word "charqui", a South American and Chilean tradition of drying meat. In South Africa they call it biltong, while Native Americans call it pemmican. All of these types are united by nomadic tradition, the need to preserve food and meat during long journeys. Coppiette, coming from the shepherds' transhumance, are philosophically connected to the journey of all the nomadic peoples of the world.
10 – Would you like to briefly tell us when and how pork coppiette originated?
Besides the tradition of transhumance, Lazio also had the tradition of porchetta. Porchetta originated with the ancient Romans, from soldiers camped outside the city who celebrated the ritual sacrifice to Ceres, offering the pig's liver to the goddess. By combining tradition and the meat that was available, pork coppiette were born.
11 – Since we now understand you're a true jerky expert, we'd like to know: what's the perfect drink to pair with pork coppiette?
It's hard to say what the perfect pairing is. Craft beer, wine, a good cocktail, but also just on their own with water as a snack on a walk…they're extremely versatile when it comes to pairing.
12 – We'd like to ask for your prediction about this sector, which is strongly rooted abroad: do you think, over time, jerky will become an increasingly common food in Italian cuisine?
I'm certain of it! There are so many people who appreciate what I make and have become curious about the world of jerky, partly thanks to the promotional work I do every day, in person and on social media. There's interest, curiosity, and people like the product. I don't see why it wouldn't keep growing.
13 – We're almost at the end of the interview, but before we say goodbye we absolutely have to ask: how many times a week do you end up eating pork coppiette while testing your products and recipes?
Breakfast, snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner…making jerky is tiring work and I need energy to get through the day!
14 – Do you think there will ever come a day when you get tired of this kind of food?
I don't think so. Sometimes, at the end of the day, after cutting fresh meat, packaging finished recipes, and looking at the product all day long, I sit outside the workshop and eat my products with a beer from some local brewer.
15 – We've reached the last question, Carlo, and we'd like to say goodbye by asking for your personal thoughts on why people should swap classic snacks for jerky.
My products contain no additives, gluten, lactose, allergens, carbs or sugar. They're 42% protein and contain only 7% fat. I believe they're a solid alternative to snacks on the market, both nutritionally and in terms of taste. One bag provides about 60 calories of energy, roughly the same as an apple.
Thank you so much, Carlo, for your time, your answers and your professionalism. Good luck with your work, and above all, enjoy your meal.