guanciale
Pig face bacon
Guanciale is Italian cured pork jowl, prized for its rich fat content and delicate flavor.
It's the traditional meat for pasta dishes like carbonara and amatriciana, where it renders into silky, flavorful fat.
Pancetta or bacon are common substitutes, though purists insist on guanciale: You can't make a proper carbonara without guanciale.
Egg-and-pork pasta
- amatricianaTomato-based Roman pasta sauce
- pecorinoItalian sheep's milk cheese
- RomaTraveler ethnic group
- LazioItalian region, capital Rome
trattoria · pasta · rigatoni · spaghetti · bucatini · ristorante · antipasto · secondo
Slack cheek flesh
- cheekAudacity or facial side
- pigDomesticated swine for meat
- swineDomestic porcine animals
- porcineOf or like swine
belly · fatback · bacon · lardons · fat · marbled · rendered · butcher
Moisture removed by atmosphere
- agedAdvanced in years
- preservedKept from deterioration
- salumiItalian preserved meat products
- charcuteriePreserved meat preparation
pancetta · lardo · coppa · capicola · speck · prosciutto · curing · dry-cured
carbonara
Egg-and-pork pasta
- amatricianaTomato-based Roman pasta sauce
- pecorinoItalian sheep's milk cheese
- RomaTraveler ethnic group
Lazio · trattoria · pasta · rigatoni · spaghetti · bucatini · ristorante · antipasto · secondo
jowl
Slack cheek flesh
porcine · belly · fatback · bacon · lardons · fat · marbled · rendered · butcher · offal
air-dried
Moisture removed by atmosphere
charcuterie · pancetta · lardo · coppa · capicola · speck · prosciutto · curing · dry-cured · nitrate
render
Cause to become
dice · cube · lardon · fat · drippings · skillet · sizzle · golden · crispy · umami
delicacy
Refined sensitivity or rarity
- artisanalMade by skilled craftspeople
- epicureanConnoisseur of sensual pleasures
- connoisseurExpert in matters of taste
luxury · exquisite · specialty · imported · authentic · prized · succulent · silky · unctuous · indulgent
guancialeturkey bacon
Cured poultry breakfast meat
bacon bits · pancetta · bacon · loin · pork belly