How Come Tony Soprano Can’t Get Enough of Gabagool?

The Sopranos celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2024, which also marks the year of the mob wife aesthetic. Coincidence? We think not. And if you’re going through the series for the first (or hundredth) time, you may notice that one word appears frequently: gabagool. Tony Soprano and his Italian American co-stars use the phrase frequently. All of this buzz piqued our interest, so we delved further to discover what gabagool is and what you should know about it.

Gabagool, according to Joe Stracci, a part-time salami slinger at Marbled Meat Shop in Cold Spring, is another term for capicola, an Italian cured meat derived from the words for head (capo) and neck (collo). Capicola is cooked from a quality pork cut from the neck and shoulder. Gabagool (also known as capicola) methods vary, but the standard technique involves preparing the meat and curing it for up to six months.

Gabagool is usually not spicy, however this varies depending on the seasoning components. Because it has not been matured for an extended period of time, it has a soft texture. Some people equate gabagool to prosciutto, however prosciutto is prepared from pig leg and cured longer, giving it a distinct flavor and texture.

Stracci describes it as follows: “I do know that the history of Italian words having the final vowel sounds cut off in the pronunciation is a combination of two things: First, consider regional Italian dialects. As a youngster, I was taught that a Sicilian couldn’t comprehend a Neapolitan since their accents were so distinct. The second component was that when Italians moved to the United States, typically in New York, they reduced their foreign terms for ease so that others would be more receptive to adopting and pronouncing them, and the trend remained. Madonn!”

Stracci claims he grew up saying capicola gabagool, but “the ‘gah’ sound at the beginning was not as common in his neighborhood.” “There was a bit of a “cah” sound. However, the “buhgool” was present, he claims.

Stracci, who grew up eating capicola from cold “antipast” plates at events such as birthday parties, Christmas Eve, and graduations, says “a slice of capicola pairs well with a chunk of sharp provolone, a piece of roasted red pepper, and a hunk of fresh seeded Italian bread.” And adds, “You should be standing when you eat it.”

Journey of self discovery