GUANCIALE AL PEPE
The Product
A premium Italian cured pork jowl (cheek) seasoned heavily with black pepper, offering a rich, buttery, and savory flavor essential for authentic Roman pastas like Carbonara and Amatriciana, prized for its fat that renders beautifully to create silky sauces, making it more flavorful and less salty than pancetta.
Origin & Terroir
From central Italy, particularly Lazio and Umbria, where guanciale is essential to local cuisine. The jowl's high fat content and the heavy pepper coating are traditional characteristics.
How to Enjoy
Essential for authentic carbonara and amatriciana - cube and render until crispy. Also excellent sliced thin for antipasti. Pairs with robust Italian reds or crisp white wines.
Did You Know?
Guanciale is non-negotiable in true Roman pasta dishes - using bacon or pancetta is considered heresy by traditionalists. The cheek meat has a more delicate texture and sweeter flavor than belly.