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PGI — Corsica
Salted and smoked Corsican pork jowl — rustic and generous, Bulagna is the charcuterie of families, the kind sliced thick to pan-fry with morning eggs or diced into lardons for slow-simmered Sunday dishes.
Charcuterie speciality from Corsica, PGI (IGP) since 2023.
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In the hierarchy of Corsican charcuterie, Bulagna occupies a place of its own: it is neither a noble ham nor a delicate loin, but the vuletta, the pork jowl, with the rind fully intact — an area rich in marbled fat, long considered a mere by-product of pig slaughter. In reality, Corsican families had always known that a well-prepared jowl — dry-salted, peppered, and slowly smoked over the island's hardwoods — yielded a charcuterie of incomparable generosity.
Its name, Bulagna, is the dialect term for this cut of pork jowl. It is one of the charcuteries lesser known outside the island, products that circulate mainly between producers and local families, in village markets and island delicatessens. The PGI (IGP), registered on 26 July 2023 by the European Commission, brought it new visibility by placing it alongside the other charcuterie PGIs of the Île de Beauté (Pancetta, Saucisson sec/Salciccia, Figatelli), recognising its place in the island's charcuterie heritage.
What sets Bulagna apart in terms of flavour is precisely its cut. The jowl is rich in fat marbled between the muscle layers — a structure that melts during cooking and imparts a distinctive texture, impossible to achieve with ordinary muscle cuts. Salted, smoked and dried, Bulagna develops a typical amber colour (ranging from brown to golden, uneven across the piece) and a texture that is both firm and melting, owing to the alternation of fat and lean.
Appearance
Amber external colour, between brown and golden, uneven across the piece; when cut, slices vary from burgundy (lean parts) to white (fat parts)
Aroma
Sustained — initially blending smoky and peppery notes, followed by hints of dried, matured meat
Taste
A fine balance between salt, dried meat and fat, complemented by a pronounced peppery note and a persistent smoky taste
Texture
Both firm and melting — a contrast created by the alternation of fat and lean
Drying in a natural or mechanical drying room, with outdoor air intake, until a weight loss of at least 10% is reached
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Bulagna is traditionally enjoyed raw or grilled, in slices, pan-fried with eggs and sometimes figatelli — its most popular use. Diced into lardons, it is also incorporated into traditional Corsican recipes as a substitute for smoked bacon. It can also be enjoyed cold in thin slices on a charcuterie platter, appreciated for its distinctive texture and character.
Since: 2023
Area covered: All of Corse (2A + 2B)
Key requirements: Production and processing in Corse · jowl cut/vuletta · dry salting and black pepper · smoking with local hardwoods
Family-run
Family-run
Artisan
Artisan
Family business
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The Jean-Paul Vincensini et Fils farm describes itself as a breeder and processor of Corsican-breed pigs for more than 40 years, in San-Lurenzu, Haute-Corse. It produces its charcuterie — prisuttu, coppa, lonzu and saucisson sec — under the PDO (AOP), using organic farming methods.
It also offers organic terrines available in several recipes (chestnut, figatellu, fig and walnut, cured ham, myrtle, hazelnut and muscat, wild boar, veal, olive), as well as jams, honeys, cakes and canistrelli, vinegars and chestnut flour, all certified organic.
| Address | Lieu-dit Rebbia, route de Coïbiti, 20244 San-Lorenzo, France |
| 04 95 47 15 45 | |
| contact@vincensini.fr | |
| corse-bio.fr | |
|
All production is certified organic, since 2005. |
