Culatello di Zibello
Covers restaurants, bars, local dishes and the Food Valley, with menu and visit prices checked on the date shown.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices or seasonal dates checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book anything.
Culatello di Zibello is the pear-shaped heart of the pork leg, cured in the flat, foggy strip of the Bassa parmense along the Po. The Consortium describes the climate that makes it: long, cold, damp winters and hot, humid summers. The meat is salted, rested, stuffed into a pig's bladder, tied with string and cured for at least 10 months.
It is expensive and scarce. Half a culatello cost €172 for 1.7–1.8 kg at a Parma dairy shop on September 29, 2026, about €100 a kilo against about €35 for prosciutto. Only 82,570 were branded in 2025. Taste it by the plate first.
At a glance
- What it is
- The boned, pear-shaped heart of the pork leg, salted, stuffed into a pig's bladder, tied with string and cured in damp cellars near the Po.
- Minimum age
- At least 10 months, per the Consortium; shops often sell 18 to 36 months.
- Price
- Caseificio Ugolotti, Parma, September 29, 2026: half a culatello (1.7–1.8 kg, 18 months minimum) €172, about €96–€101 per kg.
- To taste
- A plate costs €14 at Trattoria del Tribunale; a tasting at the Culatello Museum is €8 on top of the €7 ticket.
- How rare
- 82,570 culatelli were branded DOP in 2025, from 20 consortium producers.
- Customs
- Treat it like prosciutto: USDA bars cured Italian ham from travelers' luggage; the UK bans EU pork.
In this guide
What makes it culatello di Zibello
- DOP: the Consortium, founded January 8, 2009, groups 20 producers. Members' culatelli carry a consortium mark with a stylized historic pig.
- The shape: a pear, in natural casing, usually the pig's bladder, tied with a net of string.
- The cure: at least 10 months in humid, ventilated cellars, often longer.
- The generic word: since June 28, 2017, Italian rules let only stuffed, string-tied products aged at least 9 months use the plain name "culatello". The DOP one adds Zibello.
The DOP turned 30 in 2026. Growth is slow: the Consortium reports 82,570 branded pieces in 2025 and just over 30,000 started in the first four months of 2026.
The price, against prosciutto
| Product (Ugolotti, Sept 29, 2026) | Weight | Price | Per kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culatello di Zibello, half, 18 months minimum | 1.7–1.8 kg | €172 | About €96–€101 |
| Prosciutto di Parma, piece | 1.6–1.7 kg | €59.50 | About €35–€37 |
At the table the gap shrinks. Trattoria del Tribunale charges €14 for culatello and €11 for prosciutto on its live menu. That €3 difference is the cheapest way to decide whether culatello is worth it to you. Our culatello worth-it page runs the full comparison.
Where to taste it
- Trattoria del Tribunale: culatello €14; tagliolini al culatello €15.
- Ristorante Cocchi: 24 to 30-month culatello, and a 48-month black-pig culatello, on its September 27, 2026 menu.
- Antica Corte Pallavicina, Polesine Parmense: the Spigaroli family's estate on the Po, home of the Culatello Museum. A tasting of culatello and Bassa salumi is €8 per person on top of the €7 museum ticket. Details on our culatello cellar page.
How it is served
The Consortium's own instructions: remove the string, wash the culatello and peel off the bladder, trim the yellowed fat but keep the white, clean the lean of any mold, then wrap it in a cloth soaked in wine for at least a day before slicing. Cocchi and Tribunale both serve it plain; many places add curls of butter.
The Festa del Culatello in Polesine Zibello ran May 29 to June 2, 2026, its 39th edition. In November the November Porc festival moves through the same towns. The Bassa itself is on our Bassa and the Po day-trip page.
Carrying it home
Culatello is cured pork. USDA's traveler guidance says cured hams and salami from Italy "may not be brought into the United States by travelers", and GOV.UK bans pork products from the EU. We found no exception for culatello in either rule, so eat it in Italy.
Tickets and tours you can book
Private Parma Food Walking Tour with 10 Local Food Tastings
Private, so the per-person price drops for bigger groups; one option has you pay for tastings on site. About 3 km of walking. Not for vegans.
Rating as shown on Viator
Culatello of Zibello Private Tour with Lunch and Farm Visit
Only 6 reviews. Meets at Avis, Largo Maestà del Taglio, Parma, or pickup within 15 km. Not for vegetarians; minimum two.
Rating as shown on Viator
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Frequently asked questions
How much does culatello cost per kg?
About €96–€101 per kg for a half culatello (1.7–1.8 kg, €172) at Caseificio Ugolotti in Parma on September 29, 2026.
What is the difference between culatello and prosciutto?
Prosciutto is the whole leg, bone-in or boned, cured with salt for at least 14 months in the hills. Culatello is the boned heart of the leg, stuffed into a bladder, tied, and cured at least 10 months in the damp Bassa near the Po.
Where is the Culatello Museum?
At Antica Corte Pallavicina, Strada Palazzo Due Torri 3, Polesine Parmense, about 41 km (25 miles) and 48 minutes by car from central Parma. Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., February 1 to December 30; €7.
Can I bring culatello home?
Not to the US or Great Britain. USDA bars cured Italian ham from travelers, and GOV.UK bans EU pork products.
Further reading
Official sources
- Consorzio del Culatello di Zibello - Lavorazione (official) – At least 10 months' ageing in humid, ventilated cellars; pear shape; bladder casing; serving preparation; checked September 29, 2026
- Consorzio del Culatello di Zibello - Il Consorzio (official) – Founded January 8, 2009; 20 producers; consortium mark; generic 'culatello' rule of June 28, 2017 (9 months, tied)
- Consorzio del Culatello di Zibello - Festa del Culatello 2026 (official news) – Festa May 29-June 2, 2026, 39th edition; 82,570 branded in 2025; over 30,000 started Jan-Apr 2026; 30 years of DOP
- Consorzio del Culatello di Zibello - English page (official) – Climate of the Bassa: cold, humid, foggy winters and hot summers
- Caseificio Ugolotti - half culatello (shop) – Vacuum-packed half, 18 months minimum, 1.7-1.8 kg, €172; checked September 29, 2026
- Trattoria del Tribunale - live menu (leggimenu) – Culatello di Zibello DOP €14; Prosciutto di Parma €11; tagliolini al culatello €15 in the pasta section
- Musei del Cibo - Museo del Culatello (official) – €7 ticket; culatello tasting €8; Tue-Sun 10-18, Feb 1-Dec 30
- USDA APHIS - Meat for travelers (official) – Cured hams and salami from Italy may not be brought in by travelers
- GOV.UK - Bringing food into Great Britain (official) – Pork products from the EU not allowed
