Speck is a type of cured pork product that is typically salted and air-cured, and often lightly smoked but not cooked. It can refer to a number of European cured pork products, including pickled pork fat with or without some meat in it in Germany. In much of the rest of Europe and parts of the English-speaking culinary world, speck often refers to South Tyrolean speck, a type of Italian smoked ham. Speck is made from pork leg that is similar to prosciutto crudo in terms of taste, but with the addition of a smoky flavor. Unlike prosciutto, the bone is removed from the meat before the piece is salted, smoked “cold” in special rooms at a maximum temperature of 20°C (68°F) and cured by following the local traditional curing methods. Speck has an outer rind that is a characteristic brown color, and when sliced thin, it is great as a snack or lunch meat alongside bread. It is often used cubed or in strips in pasta sauces.

In summary, speck is a type of cured pork product that is similar to prosciutto crudo in terms of taste, but with the addition of a smoky flavor. It can refer to a number of European cured pork products, including pickled pork fat with or without some meat in it in Germany, and South Tyrolean speck, a type of Italian smoked ham.