Like the zampone, the cotechino is produced with a mixture of lean pork meat ground and seasoned with salt, pepper, spices, and natural flavours and stuffed into a gut.

Alongside the Modena PGI zampone, the Modena cotechino has also been awarded with the PGI mark. Cylindrical in shape, usually between 500g and 1kg of weight, once cooked, it shows slices of a beautiful pink colour, while the aroma released is unmistakable.

The recommendation is to wait a few minutes before slicing it so that it can cool down and the slicing itself can be easier.

Recently even great internationally renowned Italian chefs interpret cotechino in very creative recipes, which provide combinations that can extend its consumption beyond the traditional winter period.