Ciccioli

Ciccioli are pressed cakes made from the fatty leftover pieces of pork, an Italian preparation that goes by a different name in each region. Under the name ciccioli it is known in Emilia-Romagna, with Modena, Reggio Emilia, Bologna, Parma, Piacenza and Romagna named as places where it is popular, while Naples and Apulia call it cicoli, Lazio and Umbria call it sfrizzoli, and Calabria calls it risimugli. The scraps are wrapped in sack cloth and squeezed in a special press for several weeks so that the excess liquid runs off, and the pressed meat is then dried and aged. It can be made in a moist form that is sliced and served, or in a very dry and crunchy, chip-like form often called ciccioli frolli. Ciccioli also turn up as a by-product of making strutto, the rendered pork fat.