coppa

noun

cop·​pa ˈkä-pə 

plural coppas

1

: a seasoned Italian pork that is cut from the neck and top shoulder (see shoulder entry 1 sense 3), that is often brined and sometimes baked or roasted, and that is cured in a casing : capicola

Coppa or capicola is from the top of the pig's shoulder and is seasoned differently throughout Italy. It's usually quite flavorful—often made with wine and bright red, smooth in texture, fatty in the best way.

—Katie Workman

With its vivid red color and heavy marbling, coppa (also known as capicola in the US or capocollo in southern Italy) is a sight to behold. Each province treats the meat differently, but the cut—from the back of the neck and top shoulder of the pig—remains more or less consistent.

—Niki Achitoff-Gray

2

: a seasoned dry-cured Italian pork cut from the neck and top shoulder and often prepared like capicola but not encased in a casing

Capicola (also known as capocollo) and coppa (more on that below) are both Italian charcuterie standards and use the same cut of pork. … Coppa (named after the cut of meat) is the dry-cured version. The meat is prepared in a special brine and hung to dry for approximately 2 months depending on its size in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment where it becomes dry-cured. The coppa is then sliced very thinly (similar to prosciutto).

—Kimberly Killebrew

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, "back of the neck or head, cut of meat from the neck of a hog, dry-cured meat made from this cut," probably the same word as coppa "cup, goblet" (going back to Late Latin cuppa, alteration, by interchange of gemination for length, of Latin cūpa "cask, tub, barrel"), from a fancied resemblance in shape — more at hive entry 1

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1