Istrian sausage is a fermented, salted and air dried product made of minced pork meat and fat tissue. It is traditionally produced as a medium or long-life product. They are both made from pork shoulders, neck and loin cuts and long back muscles and back bacon with added sea salt, pepper, Istrian Malvasia wine and garlic. Malvasia wine with garlic extract is prepared by boiling garlic in wine for at least 1 hour. After boiling garlic pulp is squeezed out and removed. The mixture is then stuffed into sausage casings and hung to air-dry.

The length of a medium-life sausage is 12+2 cm while the long-life one’s is 50+5 cm. The production of a medium-life sausage lasts 2 or 3 weeks. Under the same conditions, after drying, the long-life sausage undergoes a 5 weeks long process of fermentation.

The cross section cut of the Istrian sausage should be straight, without cavities, mosaic-like, composed of a right proportion between the light red colored meat tissue and white fat tissue. The flavor should be moderately salty, pleasant and mild, never sour but with aromas of dried pork and aromatic spices. Smoking is not allowed during production.

Kosnica, or long-life Istrian salami, is made of minced pork muscle and fat, rubbed with sea salt, air-dried and with distinctive aroma and flavor given by the added aromatic seasoning (Istrian Malvasia, garlic and pepper). It is made of parts of half-carcasses: shoulders, neck, trimmed legs and long back muscles with added fat. The overall production process of kosnica salami lasts 3 months.

Kosnica has a regular elongated shape with more or less white molds on the surface. The cross section is straight, with a pink and white colored mosaic-like appearance and a pleasant, mildly salted flavor. Its aroma is given by dried meat and added seasonings. Within the production process of kosnica salami smoking should not be applied.

Istrian pork loin, in Croatian zarebnjak, is a traditional cured meat product, known in Istria also under the names: lombo, ombolo or žlomprt. It is made from pork back muscle meat salted with sea salt and enriched with a mix of aromatic seasoning: pepper, garlic and laurel leaves.

The air in which it is dried is enriched by the scents of the Mediterranean climate of Istria. Pigs used for its production are usually fattened to a weight above 160 kg.

In Istria, under a strong Mediterranean climate, Istrian zarebnjak is produced as a medium and long-life meat product. Medium–life zarebnjak is made of properly formed long back muscles, dry-salted with a blend of coarse and fine sea salt and the above-mentioned seasoning.

Drying that follows lasts for 3 weeks until a medium-life zarebnjak is ready. Long-life zarebnjak is produced by leaving to mature the medium-life one for 9 weeks. When dried and matured a 3 months old long-life Istrian zarebnjak should have the right dimensions (length, cross-section), the right softness, a rich aroma and an intense red colored meat with a soft-melting texture. Its surface should be covered with herbs and overgrown with noble molds. Within the production process of the Istrian zarebnjak smoking should not be applied.

Istrian streaky bacon, in Croatian panceta or potrbušina , is a long-life cured meat product made from belly or ribs and side cuts of the animal. The processed bacon is dry-salted with a blend of coarse and fine salt, ground black pepper, powdered garlic and ground dry laurel and left to rest for 8 days.

After 8 days of salting, the salt left on the bacon is swept away and the bacon is drained. Drying follows, namely maturation under natural conditions and in proper spaces, with controlled temperature, humidity and a natural air circulation for at least 90 day starting from the day of salting. Within the production process of the Istrian panceta smoking should not be applied.