Pancetta

Rolled pork belly, salted and dried with spices (black pepper, juniper berries), but strictly unsmoked (unlike bacon). The purity of its white fat is its greatest gastronomic asset. Sliced very thinly, it is the base of authentic Italian Carbonara sauce: rendered gently, it releases incredibly sweet lipids which, once emulsified with starch-rich pasta water and Pecorino cheese, create a thick and silky cream without a single drop of heavy cream.