Pancetta is a type of Italian meat, also common in Spain, that is made from pork bellies. It is often called Italian bacon, and has many differences from typical American bacon. Chief among these is that most American bacon is smoked. Italian bacon, on the other hand, is cured meat with salt and several sweet and savory spices like fennel, nutmeg and black pepper. After curing occurs, the bacon is slowly dried.

You’ll note a few forms of pancetta, mostly available in stores that stock a wide variety of meats, especially Italian meats. One form looks like a slab, which can be cut to lengths desired by the customer. Most of the pork belly fat sits on the top of this slab and both top and bottom may have a dark auburn color. The slab version is called stesa in Italy.

Another form of this ham is called rotolata, which is rolled and has a more even distribution of fat and muscle. This type is appropriate if you want to use extremely thin slices of the pancetta for frying. Thin slices could also be placed on a pizza, prior to cooking it. Rotolata is more often used in Spain than Italy.

Stesa is often more commonly found in the US and is usually the preferred form in Italy. It tends not to be served in thin slices, but is instead diced up to add to a variety of dishes. It will add a little fat, salt, spice and flavor, without the smokiness of traditional American bacon.

One of the classic Italian dishes that utilizes stesa is pasta or spaghetti carbonara. Sometimes people refer to this as the Italian bacon and eggs dish. Normally recipes for carbonara call for a small amount of diced pancetta to be added along with ingredients like scrambled eggs, parsley, garlic, parmesan cheese and cooked pasta. In order to prepare the sauce for carbonara, pancetta is usually cooked first. As with most types of bacon, you should cook stesa or rotolata fully.

Also note that a little of this flavorful ham goes a long way. For a carbonara recipe that serves four people, you’d probably use no more than approximately an ounce (28.35 g) of pancetta per serving. Due to the fat content in this Italian meat, you’ll also note that small pieces cook down pretty quickly.

You can make some lovely dishes with the rotolata form too. For instance, try the classic BLT by frying up thin slices of rotolata ham for a delicious take on this beloved American dish. Slices should be cut near paper thin, and actually this may be the way this type of pancetta is typically sold. If you do purchase the round form from an Italian or Spanish deli or butcher, you can ask for the butcher to slice rotolata to your desired thinness.