Herb and Kathy Eckhouse founded La Quercia (the Oak in Italian) in 2001 and work in all aspects of the business: selecting and buying pork, salting, trimming, and handling hams. They started La Quercia to create premium quality American prosciutto, then applied what they learned to other cuts of pork.
They developed their own spice blends for our pancetta, lonza, bacon, guanciale, coppa, lardo, and prosciutto piccante. Their appreciation for cured meats grew out of the 3.5 years they lived in Parma, Italy, prosciutto's area of origin, where they saw how the careful treatment of fine materials resulted in an accessible, sublime and entirely regional cuisine. Their ambition to create their own prosciutto came from their desire to take the bounty that surrounds them in Iowa to its highest expression. They seek to contribute to the growth of premium artisan-made American foods by offering unique dry cured meats of the finest quality.
La Quercia means the Oak in Italian. The Oak is a traditional symbol of the province of Parma, and, through its acorns, has been associated with the production of premium dry cured ham for millennia. It is also the state tree of Iowa. The name unites Iowa, Parma, and prosciutto, and is a symbol of patience, persistence, integrity, and beauty — values which guide them
La Quercia meats are award winners and you will not be disappointed when you try them.
Our Featured La Quercia Cured Meat
Try it once, and you may be hooked. This buttery, spreadable salume is soft and practically melts when warm; it's impossible not to like.
Funny thing is, you may have eating it before, without even knowing it. Nduja has become quite popular, dolloped onto pizzas, spread on crusty bread, and mixed into pasta sauces.
The bright red colors of the sausage will add some visible heat to your dish.