La Quercia meats (pronounced La Kwair-cha) such as prosciutto and speck are cured by hand in a slow process that perfects the flavor, texture, and aroma. Curing has been performed for over 2000 years; the founders of La Quercia were inspired by the artisan cured meats they encountered in Parma, Italy.
Curing consists of salting raw meat to draw out the moisture. La Quercia uses only salt, not nitrates or other preservatives. The salted meat then rests in the cold as the salt works its way deeper. Finally, when the meat is dry enough, it’s aged at higher temperatures to allow flavor to develop. La Quercia uses vacuum packing to protect the meat when it’s ready. Photos of the meat curing process are posted on La Quercia’s website.
The pork for La Quercia meats comes from sustainable producers located near the facility. La Quercia uses a fair-trade system to ensure that the farmers they buy from can stay in business. They visit the farmers and set standards to ensure the welfare of the animals. Pigs must have access to the outdoors, room to move around, and deep bedding to root in; they cannot receive non-therapeutic antibiotics, ionophores, hormones, or synthetic hormones and cannot be fed animal byproducts. La Quercia uses no pigs from CAFOs (large animal confinement facilities). See photos of the farms on their website.
Every year, La Quercia celebrates “Ham Independence” around the Fourth of July. Learn more at http://hamindependence.com/. La Quercia speck and prosciutto are the weekend deal for July 1-4. They’re $5.99 per package. We’ll be sampling them in our stores on Saturday from 3 to 6 PM.