Thin ribbons of pure white fat that melt on warm bread the second they touch it, leaving nothing behind but a faint, savoury perfume.
Lardo di Colonnata, aged in marble basins.
Sea salt and rosemary, rubbed in by hand.
Garlic, black pepper, and a whisper of juniper.
Served at room temperature, never cold.
Cured for months in the cool marble caves of Colonnata, high in the Apuan Alps above Carrara, where the stone that built the Renaissance now does quieter work.
The fat takes on the minerality of the marble and the resin of the rosemary, turning silky and translucent, more like a seasoned butter than a slice of meat.
Eat it draped over warm focaccia, or let it soften across a piece of grilled bread and finish with a crack of pepper.
