Rovagnati

Rovagnati is an Italian cured-meat maker; the company Rovagnati S.p.A. is based in Biassono, in the province of Monza and Brianza. By its own figures it works in 20 countries, runs 12 brands and employs about 1,200 people. The brand's core is cooked ham, but the range also includes long-cured products.

The history: just after the Second World War Angelo Ferruccio Rovagnati traded butter and cheese with his son Paolo. In the 1960s Paolo persuaded his father to make salumi, starting with cooked ham; in 1968 he took over management, and in the 1970s the business went national. Gran Biscotto, pre-sliced trays (1990s), plants at Villasanta and Arcore followed, and in 2021 the first plant abroad, in Vineland, New Jersey.

In its cured range: Prosciutto di Parma (the consortium list shows a plant at Sala Baganza), Prosciutto di San Daniele, Bresaola della Valtellina, pancettas, and salami such as Milano, Napoli, Ungherese, Finocchiona and Salame al Tartufo, as listed on the brand's site. The producer's own lines Snello (lean) and Borgo Rovagnati (counter products) appear as plain mentions. Cooked ham, mortadella and poultry are not cured products.

Unlike Rigamonti, a bresaola specialist, Rovagnati is a broad house: salami, pancettas, dry-cured hams and bresaola, with its centre of gravity in cooked ham.

On the shelf, look for «Rovagnati»; Borgo Rovagnati marks counter products, Snello the lean line, and sliced trays are sold as «Affettati Rovagnati». They are found in supermarkets and delicatessens.