Cured meat
Pancetta
Quick answer
Pancetta is salt-cured pork belly, sold flat (tesa) or rolled (arrotolata), usually unsmoked.
It is Italy's bacon, but cured rather than smoked.
How to use it: soffritto, pasta sauces, wrapping roasts.
- Type
- Cured meat
- Origin
- Italy-wide
- Made from
- Pork belly
- Best uses
- soffritto, pasta sauces, wrapping roasts.
Related
More italian cheeses & cured meats
Next up
Keep going — a recipe to try, a film to watch, and an answer to the question you were about to search.
Try this recipe
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Garlic, chili, good oil and pasta water. The midnight plate.
Try this recipe
Penne alla Vodka
Silky pink vodka sauce with real depth — ready in 35 minutes.
Next watch
The Golden Vault
A jungle at dawn, a lost city, and an uncle who kept the map to himself.
Quick answer
What can I use instead of guanciale?
Pancetta is the best substitute for guanciale — use the same weight. Unsmoked salt pork is second. Smoked bacon works but adds smoke the dish never had, so use a quarter less and skip any added salt.