From the North of Italy, A Haunting Smoky Taste.

Most pancetta is not smoked. The meat, a relatively lean Italian pork belly, is cured with salt and spices, especially black pepper. It is often sold rolled and gives a meaty base to sauces, pasta dishes and stews. Smoked pancetta is a specialty of northern Italy. Leoncini, a producer of cured pork products in the Veneto region, has started exporting smoked pancetta that can be diced and sauteed to lend haunting flavor to all sorts of dishes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]