Deli

Fresh imports from Italy!

Prosciutto crudo is a dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked. Commonly associated with Friuli and Emilia, the most renowned and expensive legs of prosciutto come from central and northern Italy
We have two Prosciutto: Parma (a town in Emilia) and San Daniele (named after a town in Friuli, East Italy)
The prosciutto from San Daniele is sweet with a full bouquet and a lingering aftertaste. This delicacy is best shaved thin and consumed with bread or grissini, perhaps combined with a small amount of fresh soft cheese, to appreciate its sweetness.
The prosciutto from Parma is savory. It can support sautéing while retaining its distinct taste. The prosciutto from Parma is also about 20% smaller in size than prosciutto from San Daniele
How should you eat Prosciutto? Our suggestion is as simply than possible: with some bread or you can prepare a typical Italian dish, Prosciutto e Melone (Prosciutto and Melon).

Bresaola (or in Italian dialect brisaola) is air-dried, salted beef that has been aged two or three months until it becomes hard and turns a dark red, almost purple colour.
It is made from top (inside) round, and is lean and tender, with a sweet, musty smell. As an antipasto, bresaola is usually sliced paper thin and served at room temperature or slightly chilled.
It is most commonly eaten on its own, but may be drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, and served with rocket (rucola) salad, cracked black pepper, and freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.
Sliced bresaola should be stored well wrapped in a refrigerator.

Prosciutto Cotto (cooked ham) is the Italian version of the cooked ham. Rocagnati is an Italian company based in Brianza a region North of Milan. Their cooked ham is the most famous in Italy. It is very juicy and flavored.
Cooked ham is perfect in a sandwich or it can be used in a lot of recipes like Antipasto, or salads and pastas, omelets and frittata.
At Dolce Vita you can find also Prosciutto cotto alle erbe (cooked ham flavored with herbs

Salami is cured sausage, made of fermented and air-dried meat from one of several animals—but typically beef or pork. Historically, salami was popular among Southern European peasants because it stores at room temperature for up to 30–40 days once cut, possibly supplementing a meager or inconsistent supply of fresh meat.
At Dolce Vita you can find different Italian Salami:

  • Salame Parma (named also Felino): made only with pork and with added salt, pepper. Traditionally it must cut diagonally to keep the flavor
  • Salame Rosetta: Made using the Veneto salami base, Rosetta Salami is carefully encrusted in rosemary and thyme so as not to over power the delicious Veneto Salami flavour
  • Cacciatorini: The salamino cacciatore is also a small salami that is prepared exclusively with only garlic and pepper to flavor it
  • Salame al Barolo: Salame al Barolo has a sparkle in its flavor that comes from the generous amount of Barolo red wine that’s added to the traditional Felino salami mix.
  • Salame di cinghiale: this is a traditional Salami from Tuscany, prepared only with boar meat
  • Genoa Salami: Genoa salami is an American variety of salami commonly believed to have originated in the area of Genoa. It is normally made from pork, but may also contain beef or be all beef. It is seasoned with garlic, salt, black and white peppercorns, fennel seeds, and red or white wine. Like many Italian sausages, it has a characteristic fermented flavor.

Soppressata is an Italian dry salami. Two principal types are made: a cured dry sausage typical of Basilicata, Apulia] and Calabria, and a very different uncured salami, native to Tuscany and Liguria. Perhaps the most well-known internationally is the sopressa veneta.
The version from Vicenza, in the Veneto region, did away with the traditional pressed shape and has become an international favorite.
Each of these varieties qualifies for prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale (PAT) status. Soppressata can be made of fresh hams, as well as other cuts. Pork is the traditional meat used, though it is sometimes made using beef. The meat is either coarsely pressed or ground as with other salamis.
Pressing gives it an uneven, rustic appearance when sliced. Soppressata is a specialty of southern Italy, and often includes hot pepper (though, as with all salami, seasonings vary).
The sausage is hung up to dry for three to 12 weeks, depending on the diameter, and loses about 30% of its original weight. Cured soppressata is often stored in jars of olive oil. It is commonly sliced thin and placed on crackers or sandwiches or eaten by itself
We have three Soppressata at Dolce Vita:

  • Soppressa Veneta from Veneto.
  • Sweet Soppressata Calabra
  • Spicy Soppressata Calabra

Coppa is a traditional Italian pork cold cut (salume) made from the dry-cured muscle running from the neck to the 4th or 5th rib of the pork shoulder or neck. This cold cut is sometimes called capocollo.
In its production, capocollo is first lightly seasoned, often with red and sometimes white wine, garlic, and a variety of herbs and spices that differ depending on region. The meat is then salted (and was traditionally massaged) and stuffed into a natural casing, and hung for up to six months to cure. Sometimes the exterior is rubbed with hot paprika before being hung and cured. Differences in flavor also depend on what type of wood the producer uses for smoking, and the breed of pig. Capocollo is essentially the pork counterpart of the air dried, cured beef bresaola. It is widely available wherever there are significant Italian communities, thanks to commercially produced varieties. There is also a slow-roasted Piedmontese version called coppa cotta.
Capocollo is esteemed for its delicate flavor and tender, fatty texture and is often more expensive than most other salumi. In many countries, it is often sold as a gourmet food item. It is usually sliced thin for use in antipasto or sandwiches such as muffulettas, Italian grinders and subs, and panini as well as some traditional Italian pizza.

Mortadella is a large Italian sausage made of finely hashed or ground, heat-cured pork, which incorporates at least 15% small cubes of pork fat (principally the hard fat from the neck of the pig). Mortadella is a product of Bologna, Italy. It is flavoured with spices, including whole or ground black pepper, myrtle berries, and pistachios.
Mortadella originated in Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna; elsewhere in Italy it may be made either in the Bolognese manner or in a distinctively local style. The mortadella of Prato is a Tuscan speciality flavoured with pounded garlic.
The mortadella of Amatrice, high in the Apennines of northern Lazio, is unusual in being lightly smoked.
Because it originated in Bologna, this contributed to the naming of the American meat "Bologna sausage".

Pancetta Coppata is Italian bacon made of pork belly meat that is salt cured and spiced with black pepper and sometimes other spices.
Pancetta coppata is a slice of pork belly, salted and treated with spices, and then rolled over a very lean loin of pork.
It’s truly exquisite, especially if it’s made the artisanal way

Guanciale is an Italian cured meat or salami product prepared from pork jowl or cheeks.
Its name is derived from guancia, Italian for cheek. Guanciale is similar to the jowl bacon of the United States.
Guanciale may be cut and eaten directly in small portions, but is often used as a pasta ingredient.
It is used in dishes like spaghetti alla carbonara and sauces like sugo amatriciana.
It is a specialty of central Italy, particularly Umbria and Lazio

Speck Alto Adige PGI is a dry-cured, lightly smoked ham (prosciutto in Italian), produced in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Parts of its production are regulated by the European Union under the protected geographical indication (PGI) status.
In South Tyrol, speck was traditionally a farmers’ fare, a source of energy during their work in the fields. Over time, it became one of the main courses in banquets for festivities and welcoming ceremonies. The latter function has reached our modern times, when speck, together with bread and wine, is served as the typical South Tyrolean "snack", offered as a sign of hospitality.
Speck Alto Adige PGI is a unique product manufactured in a unique way.
Its production protocol provides for the light smoking of salted pork hind quarters followed by an approximately 22-week-long curing period and the application of a special crust of salt that must never exceed 5% of the final product.

Finocchiona, a variation on salami, supposedly owes its origins to a thief at a fair near the town of Prato (Tuscany), who stole a fresh salami and hid it in a stand of wild fennel. When he returned for it, he found it had absorbed the aromas of its hiding place and had become fit for the Gods.
It is made of finely ground pork and fat, laced with fennel, and aged for a while; it is fairly firm.

Salsiccia di Calabria DOP is made all over this extraordinary region and it is the most well-known and widespread among Calabria cold cuts.
Pork processing has an ancient origin in this land, and it probably dates back to the Magna Graecia. Historical evidence of the skill of Calabria butchers are known since the XVII century. The famous Giacomo Casanova had the chance to taste Calabria sausages during his journeys and he wrote that they were the best he ever had.
Salsiccia di Calabria DOP comes frome the processing of the pork shoulders and ribs with lard, grains and powder of black pepper, sweet and spicy red pepper, bell peppers cream, wine, fennel seeds and flavorings. At Dolce Vita there are three varieties sold Dolce or Piccante (Sweet or Spicy), depending on the seasoning. It is made into sausage using pork guts and it is shaped on form of a small chain or a horseshoe. It is stored for a year in dry and fresh rooms hanging from the ceiling or dipped in oil in glass jars.
The guidelines provide for the use of neat coming exclusively from Italian pigs grown in Calabria: they are bred and fed following traditional techniques , mainly with barley, corn, chickpeas and acorns. This way, the meat has excellent quality.
It has a very peculiar and intense flavour, exalted by simple, natural leavening bread and local red wines with a high alcoholic strength.

Caciocavallo is a type of stretched-curd cheese made out of sheep or cow milk. It is produced throughout Southern Italy, particularly in the Apennine Mountains. Shaped like a tear-drop, it is similar in taste to the aged Southern Italian Provolone cheese, with a hard edible rind.

Bel Paese is a semi-soft Italian cheese. It was invented in 1906 by Egidio Galbani (it) who wanted to produce a mild and delicate cheese to sell mainly in Italy. The name Bel Paese comes from the title of a book written by Antonio Stoppani. It is Italian for "beautiful country", and is used as a phrase for Italy itself.
Originally produced in Melzo, a small village near Milan in the Lombardy region, it is now made in both Italy and the United States. Bel Paese is a cow milk cheese. It matures for six to eight weeks, and has a creamy and light milky aroma. The color is a pale, creamy yellow. It is made in small discs, and is very similar to the French Saint-Paulin cheese and to German Butterkäse.
It has a mild, buttery flavor for which it has been popularly eaten with fruity wines, such as dry red or white. It is favored by many as a snack or dessert cheese and melts easily for use on pizzas or in casseroles. It is often used as a substitute for mozzarella cheese.
Genuine Bel Paese cheese can be determined by the wrapping. It has an image of the Italian geologist and paleontologist Antonio Stoppani, whose geological treatise Il bel paese gave its name to Galbani cheese; but while on the wrapping of the cheese made in Italy Stoppani image comes with a map of Italy, cheese made in the United States has a map of the Americas.

Asiago is an Italian cow milk cheese that can assume different textures, according to its aging, from smooth for the fresh Asiago (Asiago Pressato) to a crumbly texture for the aged cheese (Asiago allevo) of which the flavor is reminiscent of Parmesan. The aged cheese is often grated in salads, soups, pastas, and sauces while the fresh Asiago is sliced to prepare panini or sandwiches; it can also be melted on a variety of dishes and cantaloupe. At Dolce Vita there are two different Asiago cheese:

  • Pressed Asiago: it is produced using fresh whole milk
  • Asiago Mezzano: it is produced using a mixture of whole milk and skimmed milk and then it is aged 3 to 8 months

Fontina is an Italian cow milk cheese. Although made throughout the year, the best cheese is obtained during the summer when the cows are moved to an altitude of 1,800 to 2,300 meters and fed only with rich grass to give it a distinctive aroma. Fontina has PDO status under European law. Fontina cheese has been made in the Aosta Valley, in the Alps
The original Fontina cheese from Italy is fairly pungent and has quite an intense flavor, although cheeses labeled Fontina that are produced in other countries can be much milder. The Swedish and Danish versions are often found in US grocery stores, and can be distinguished from Italian Fontina by their red wax rind. Italian Fontina has a natural rind due to aging, which is usually tan to orange-brown.
It is noted for its earthy, mushroomy, and woody taste, and pairs exceptionally well with roast meats and truffles

Grana Padano is one of the most popular cheeses of Italy. The name comes from the noun grana (grain), which refers to the distinctively grainy texture of the cheese, and the adjective Padano, which refers to the valley Pianura Padana.
Grana Padano has protected designation of origin status since 1996.
Grana Padano is one of the world first hard cheeses, created nearly 900 years ago by the Cistercian monks of Chiaravalle Abbey, founded in 1135 near Milan, who used ripened cheese as a way of preserving surplus milk. By the year 1477, it was regarded as one of the most famous cheeses of Italy. It can last a long time without spoiling, sometimes aging up to two years. It is made in a similar way to the Parmigiano Reggiano of Emilia-Romagna but over a much wider area and with different regulations and controls. Other grana cheeses are also made in Lombardy, Piedmont, Trentino, and Veneto

Montasio is a mountain cheese made from cow milk produced in northeastern Italy in the regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto. It is typically aged for a minimum of two months, and some preparations are aged for a year or more. It is semi-hard. Versions aged longer develop a harder texture, the color is pale yello to gold, depending on age.

Mascarpone is an Italian cheese made from cream, coagulated by the addition of certain acidic substances, such as lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid or acetic acid. After denaturation, the whey is removed without pressing or aging. Mascarpone may also be made using cream and the residual tartaric acid from the the bottom or sides of barreled wine.

Mascarpone is milky-white in color and is easy to spread. It is used in various Lombardy dishes, and is considered a speciality in the region. It is one of the main ingredients in the modern Italian dessert known as Tiramisu, and is sometimes used instead of butter or Parmesan cheese to thicken and enrich risottos.

Pecorino is is the name of a family of hard Italian cheeses made from ewe milk. The word derives from Italian pecora meaning ‘sheep’, which in turn is from the Latin pecus meaning livestock. Of the four main varieties of Pecorino, all of which have Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status under European Union law, Pecorino Romano is probably the best known outside Italy, especially in the United States, which has been an important export market for the cheese since the 19th century.[2] Most Pecorino Romano is produced on the island of Sardinia, though its production is also allowed in Lazio and in the Tuscan Province of Grosseto.
The other four mature PDO cheeses are the Pecorino Sardo from Sardinia; Pecorino Toscano, whose production was already attested by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History;[3] Pecorino Siciliano (or Picurinu Sicilianu in Sicilian) from Sicily and Pecorino di Filiano from Basilicata.[4]
All come in a variety of styles depending on how long they have been aged. The more matured cheeses, referred to as stagionato ("seasoned" or "aged" ), are harder but still crumbly in texture and have decidedly buttery and nutty flavours. The other two types semi-stagionato and fresco have a softer texture and milder cream and milk tastes
At Dolce VIta we have the following Pecorino cheese:

  • Pecorino Sardo (from Sardinia)
  • Pecorino Toscano (from Tuscany)
  • Pecorino Romano (from Rome)
  • Pecorino Calabro (from Calabria, South of Italy)
  • Pecorino with Truffle
  • Pecorino with black pepper

Parmiggiano Reggiano is a hard, granular cheese.

It is named after the producing areas, which comprise the Provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Bologna (only the area to the west of the river Reno), Modena (all in Emilia-Romagna), and Mantova (in Lombardia, but only the area to the south of river Po), Italy. Under Italian law, only cheese produced in these provinces may be labelled "Parmigiano-Reggiano", and European law classifies the name, as well as the translation "Parmesan", as a protected designation of origin. Parmigiano is the Italian adjective for Parma and Reggiano that for Reggio Emilia. In the U.S., Canada, and other countries outside the EU, the name "Parmesan" is generally only used for cheeses similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano, with the full Italian name used for traditional Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Parmigiano-Reggiano is made from unpasteurized cow milk.

At Dolce Vita we have 12 and 24 months aged cheese.

Scamorza is an Italian cow milk cheese, similar to mozzarella. Scamorza is a plastic (or stretched) curd cheese, in which the fresh curd matures in its own whey for several hours to allow acidity to develop by the process of lactose being converted to lactic acid. Artisanal cheese makers generally form the cheese into a round shape, and then tie a string around the mass one third of the distance from the top, and hang to dry. The resulting shape is pear-like. This is sometimes referred to as "strangling" the cheese. The cheese is usually white in color unless smoked. When smoked, the color is almond with a lighter interior.
Scamorza can be substituted for mozzarella in most dishes as can any other cheese, but the resulting taste will be much stronger and more dominant. It is reputed to melt better in baking. Using the smoked variety (scamorza affumicata) adds a nice background flavor in replacement of mozzarella.

Taleggio is a semi-soft, washed rind, smear-ripened Italian cheese that is named after Val Taleggio.
The cheese has a thin crust and a strong aroma, but its flavor is comparatively mild with an unusual fruity tang. The production takes place every autumn and winter when the cows are tired (Italian: stracche). First, the acidified milk is brought to the lab from milk calves. The cheese is set on wood shelves in chambers, sometimes in caves as per tradition, and will mature within six to ten weeks. It is washed once a week with a seawater sponge in order to prevent mold infestation and to prevent the cheese from forming an orange or rose crust.
Today, the cheese is made from both pasteurized milk and from raw milk in factories.

Gorgonzola is a veined Italian blue cheese, made from unskimmed cow milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a bite from its blue veining.
Gorgonzola has been produced for centuries in Gorgonzola, Milan, acquiring its greenish-blue marbling in the eleventh century. However, the town claim of geographical origin is disputed by other localities During the aging process metal rods are quickly inserted and removed, creating air channels that allow the mold spores to grow into hyphae and cause the cheeses characteristic veining.
Gorgonzola is typically aged for three to four months. The length of the aging process determines the consistency of the cheese, which gets firmer as it ripens.

Mozzarella di Bufala is a mozzarella made from the milk of the domestic Italian water buffalo. It is a product traditionally produced in Campania, especially in the provinces of Caserta and Salerno.
The term mozzarella derives from the procedure called mozzatura which means "cutting by hand", separating from the curd, and serving in individual pieces, that is, the process of separation of the curd into small balls. It is appreciated for its versatility and elastic texture and often called the queen of the Mediterranean cuisine, white gold or the pearl of the table, in compliance with the finest food quality and taste of the product.
The buffalo mozzarella sold as Mozzarella di Bufala Campana has been granted the status of Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC – Controlled designation of origin) since 1993. It may only be produced with a traditional recipe in select locations in the regions of Campania, Lazio, Apulia and Molise. At Dolce Vita we import weekly Mozzarella di Bufala directly from Caserta near Naples, Italy

Ricotta is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep (or cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo) milk whey left over from the production of cheese. Ricotta (literally meaning "recooked") protein can be harvested if the whey is first allowed to become more acidic by additional fermentation (by letting it sit for 12–24 hours at room temperature). Then the acidified whey is heated to near boiling. The combination of low pH and high temperature denatures the protein and causes it to precipitate, forming a fine curd. Once cooled, the curd is separated by passing through a fine cloth.
Ricotta curds are creamy white in appearance, slightly sweet in taste, and contain around 13% fat. In this form, it is somewhat similar in texture to some cottage cheese variants, though considerably lighter. It is highly perishable. However, ricotta also comes in aged varieties which are preservable for much longer.

In the United States, Italian sausage (salsiccia, in Italian) most often refers to a style of pork sausage noted for being seasoned with fennel and/or anise as the primary seasoning. In Italy, however, a wide variety of sausages is made, many of which are quite different from the product commonly known as Italian sausage in the United States.
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat with a skin around it. Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made from intestine, but sometimes synthetic. Some sausages are cooked during processing and the casing may be removed after.
Sausage making is a traditional food preservation technique. Sausages may be preserved by curing, drying, or smoking.
At Dolce Vita we have sweet and spicy fresh Italian sausages

At Dolce Vita we offer different olives

  • Olive di Cerignola from Puglia, South of Italy
  • Olive Calabresi from South of Itay and very spicy
  • Olive di Castelvetrano from Sicily
  • Black Baked Olives
  • Three colors Olives from Cerignola

Tagliatelle is a traditional type of pasta from Emilia-Romagna and Marche, regions of Italy. Individual pieces of tagliatelle are long, flat ribbons that are similar in shape to fettuccine and are typically about 6.5 mm to 10 mm (0.25 to 0.375 inch) wide. Tagliatelle can be served with a variety of sauces, though the classic is a meat sauce or Bolognese sauce.

Tagliatelle are made with egg pasta. The traditional ratio is one egg to one hundred grams of flour.

Pappardelle are large, very broad, flat pasta noodles, similar to wide fettuccine. The name derives from the verb "pappare", to gobble up. The fresh types are two to three centimetres (3⁄4–1 in) wide and may have fluted edges. Dried egg pappardelle have straight sides.

Ravioli are a type of dumpling composed of a filling sealed between two layers of thin pasta dough. Usually served either in broth or with a pasta sauce, they originated as a traditional food in Italian cuisine. Ravioli are typically square, though other forms are also used, including circular or semi-circular (mezzelune).

Gnocchi are various thick, soft dough dumplings that are made from ordinary wheat flour and potato. Gnocchi are eaten as a first course (primo piatto), as an alternative to soups (minestre) or pasta. Common accompaniments of gnocchi include melted butter with sage, pesto, and various sauces.

Lasagne are wide, flat-shaped pasta, and possibly one of the oldest types of pasta. The word "lasagne" and, in many non-Italian languages, the singular "lasagna", can also refer to a dish made with several layers of lasagne sheets alternated with sauces and various other ingredients. Lasagne originated in Italy, traditionally ascribed to the city of Naples (Campania), where the first modern recipe was created and published and became a traditional dish.[2] Traditional lasagne is made by interleaving layers of pasta with layers of sauce, made with ragù, bechamel, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Cavatelli are a type of pasta. The term cavatelli has two meanings: the most common meaning is small pasta shells that look like miniature hot dog buns.