Italy is the gift that keeps on giving to gastronomes worldwide. Along with the evergreen staples, there seems to be an endless parade of products or plates that are discovered in Italy and brought abroad not as fads but as additions to the existing cannon. A new present for American palates is a succulent cylinder of pork known as porchetta that is popping up on more menus and display cases. 

A.L.C. Italian Grocery in Bay Ridge Brooklyn has had porchetta available every Saturday since the shop opened in 2012. Owner Louis Coluccio Jr. explains. “Coming from a southern Italian family, pork was always big in our house, though no one made porchetta. I had it when traveling in Italy, and I feel in love with it because simply prepared quality ingredients are what Italian cuisine is all about.”