What’s not to like about a heavily manufactured pork product? I was in a store in Seattle and I saw these. I wouldn’t normally buy these (ya right!!), but for the sake of you, dear reader, I took it upon myself to check them out. You know when you are eating something that you know is bad for you and you are going to pay for it, but you do it anyway? Well this is it. These salty little morsels crunch heavily in your mouth and once you start, you can’t stop. Luckily this was only a small bag, but damn were these good. The pigs that make these are both noble and…happy. I can taste the happiness with each bite. These pigs lived good lives and their crispy little flesh says it all. Now this snack isn’t for the faint of heart. The description says it all: “Fried out pork fat with attached skin.” The salsa that come with it tastes like ass, but the cracklins are Yummmy! Get them, eat them, and treat yourself to a nice beer. You deserve it. You are an honorary keeper of the pig!

I was in Seattle this week and I really get tired of restaurant foods sometimes. When the day is hot, I like some charcuterie, a bit of cheese, and some water for supper. I first stumbled upon this type of eating during a trip to Italy back in 2006 and it suits me on these types of days. Having spent 250 nights in hotels in the last two years, I have learned to make the hotel feel a bit like home. What better way then to get a nice selection of cold cuts and watch the news.

I hit the IGA downtown assuming they had a deli. They didn’t The other good delis are a bit inaccessible from the financial district, but I came across a deli selection in the cold cut isle and saw the Columbus offering. I’ve seen these meats in California. A company that honors the pig deserves my attention. I couldn’t decide which one to try so I got all three. To my suprise, this is some good stuff. Reviews of each selection to follow:

Sopressata

This was ‘good eats’. Look at that tantalizing fat, peppercorns, and a hint of fennel and I think a little paprika. I actually hate fennel, but it worked here. It had a bit of hot pepper added to it and it reminded me of some of the beautiful meat plates I had in Florence. The consistency is really nice and the flavor works well. Sopressata (which I don’t think I had before), gets a top rating and is worth a try.

Dry Coppa

This is sex on a plate. LOOK AT THAT FRIGGING FAT SWIRL! This my friends melts in the mouth and it the fois gras of the piggy. It’s basically trimmed pork shoulder that is cured in salt and some light spices. It tastes like it spent a lot of time curing and handing. This stuff literally melts right on your tongue and the flavor of the fat is over this moon. I want to be wrapped and cured in this when I die.

Italian Dry Salame

This is the ‘shizzle’ people. I’ve eaten a lot of Salame (I MEAN A LOT). This is as good as anything I’ve had thus far. And this stuff is cheap! $5bucks a package and well worth it. To have a plate of charcuterie like these three with 1/2 the portions between two people, you’d be looking at 18-25 bucks. Here, three packages for $15 and could easily feed three people (more if you have crackers and wine.) This was sweet, a great cured taste, and there was a hint of red wine. The wine was either sweet, or their was sugar involved, because this stuff is like candy.

Overall, you need to try this brand. It makes sense and is comparable if not better, than anything you’ll find in an Italian market. This company loves the pig and therefore I love them. I’m looking forward to trying some of their offerings including:

• Dry Coppa Hot
• Prosciutto
• Pancetta
• Calabrese Hot Salame
• Chorizo Casero
• Pepper Salame
• hell, I’m interested in everything they are doing.

Check them out here: http://www.columbussalame.com

I bought this bag of Crostinis at a IGA Kress Supermarket in Downtown Seattle. $5bucks for a 7oz (198g) bag of the little munchies. The flavour is Parmesan & Pecorino. The packaging says that they are imported from Italy. For making the 5,000 mile journey, they are suprisingly fresh. Description on the bag holds true:

“Italian Crostini, crisp and light, are made from traditional Italian bread dough, rolled thin, and baked in a slow oven until golden. Seasoned with EVOO & sea salt.”

They are like high-end oyster crackers you get in chowder in Boston. Very tasty, a bit rich at $5bucks, but there is more in the bag then the weight would suggest. Most crackers have a big air pocket baked in that gives a nice crunch. When I make pizza dough at home (recipe ala Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything”) and these crackers taste very close to how my pizza dough. The company suggests cheese and spreads as potential uses. I don’t think these will work well for this. Instead explore using them in soups, chowders, chili, or salads. I’d like to see a pancetta flavour with sage, but that’s just me.

Note: Three of these little suckers constitutes a ‘serving’. One ‘serving’ is 60 calories and has 109 mgs of sodium.

Flavour: 4/5
Value: 3.5/5
Try them? Definately

No website.