Cotechino (/ˌkoʊtɪˈkiːnoʊ,-teɪˈ-/,Italian:[koteˈkiːno]) is a largeItalianporksausage requiring slow cooking; usually it is simmered at low heat for several hours.[1][2] Its name comes fromcotica ('rind'), but it may take different names depending on its various locations of production. Traditionally, it is served with lentils or mashed potatoes.[3] Lentils are the common choice onNew Year's Eve,[4] because their shape is said to resemble coins and thus to be a sign of prosperity in the coming year.
It is prepared by filling thenatural casing withrind, pork meat (usually secondary cuts), andfat mixed with salt and spices;[4] in industrial production,nitrites andnitrates are added aspreservatives. Some similar sausages exist in the Italian cooking tradition, for examplemusetto andzampone which are made with different cuts and parts of the pig,musetto being made with meat taken from the pig's muzzle, andzampone, which is encased in the lower part of a pig's trotter, partly boned and with the rind stitched together at the top.
Cotechino Modena hasPGI status, meaning its recipe and production are preserved under Italian and European law.
Six Italian regions have so far declaredcotechino a traditional food:
