Bresaola is salt-cured, air-dried beef, an Italian specialty that has been around since Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. Unlike prosciutto or pancetta, other cured meat products, bresaola has the unique quality of being extremely lean, with little or no visible fat.

Originating from the Valtellina Valley region of northern Italy, bresaola is most typically made from lean cuts of beef such as the eye of round. All visible fat is trimmed from the meat, which is then massaged with a rub containing coarse salt and various seasonings. The spices and herbs used to flavor the bresaola differ according to the traditions and preferences of the craftsperson, but may include combinations of cinnamon, nutmeg, juniper berries, pepper, bay leaf, cloves, thyme, oregano, and rosemary. The Chiavenna variety of bresaola is smoked.

After salting, the bresaola is cleaned, then air dried for a period of days. After this step, it is hung and left to cure for perhaps up to three months. The bigger the piece of meat, the longer it will take to cure. Ultimately, nearly half of the weight of the meat will be lost—water weight that escapes during the drying and curing process.

What emerges at the end of the curing process is a very lean, sweet, tender end product. The bresaola is sliced paper thin for serving, and the meat is a deep reddish purple color, with a soft texture and a distinctive musty aroma.

Bresaola is eaten as an appetizer, and simple is best by way of preparation. As a rule of thumb, it should be eaten soon after slicing, and certainly within a day, to preserve its moisture, which is key. To store, wrap tightly in plastic and keep in the refrigerator.

Bresaola is traditionally enjoyed plain, lightly chilled or at room temperature. Some enthusiasts, however, prefer to prepare bresaola in the style of carpaccio, with the addition of enhancing attributes such as a drizzle of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and a grind of freshly cracked black pepper. Also, bresaola pairs well with the flavor of Parmigiano-Reggiano and arugula, and this combination can often be seen gracing chilled salad plates, accompanied by olives, bread, and red wine as a light lunch.

Similar to bresaola are bundnerfleisch, a wine-cured, air-dried beef product made in Switzerland, and prosciutto, which is made from pork and has considerably more fat than bresaola does. Spanish cecina is a smoked, salted cured meat product that is also made with beef. Mexican cecina utilizes beef as well, though it was traditionally, and is still occasionally, made from venison.