Capocollo of Martina Franca

Capocollo of Martina Franca is a sausage made from meat from pigs born and raised extensively in the territory of Martina Franca.

The production technique provides certain characteristics such as the treatment stages by vino cotto and smoking. Capocollo of Martina Franca has a deep wine red in color and a pronounced aroma linked to the use of spices and the smoking process. The texture is soft and fragrant flavor with sour feeling imparted by vino cotto and well supported by the quality of the meat.

Product category

Meat (and offal) and their preparation

Area of origin

The surrounding area of Martina Franca (Taranto, Puglia, Italy)

Productive process

Capocollo of Martina Franca is a sausage made from meat from pigs born and raised extensively in the territory of Martina Franca. The raw material is formed by the upper portion of the neck of the pig and from a part of the shoulder. After salting, the meat is washed with vino cotto ( from white wine Martina), mixing with aromas of local herbs, thene there is the ligation in pig gut to form pieces of cylindrical shape and weight of 0,5- 2 kg. The smoking process takes place by burning wood and the bark of a Fragno oak, a tree native of Balkans now present only in some areas of Puglia. The seasoning lasts about 3 months.

Production period

All the year.

History and tradition

The historical testimonies describe pig meat processing according to the protocol used for the production of Martina Franca capocollo since the seventeenth century.

description from Atlante dei Prodotti Tipici di Puglia Prima Edizione – Ottobre 2006