Guanciale

Cured pork jowl — the traditional fat ingredient in Roman pasta dishes (carbonara, amatriciana, gricia). Salt-cured for one to two weeks, then air-dried for several months with black pepper or chili. Higher fat content and more delicate, gelatinous texture than pancetta. Renders into a glassy fat that coats pasta perfectly. Pancetta is sometimes substituted, but Roman cooks consider that a compromise — guanciale's fat melts at lower temperatures and binds the sauce differently.