for preservation, salo is salted and sometimes also smoked and aged in a dark and cold place, where it will last for a year or more. the slabs of fat are first cut into manageable pieces, typically 15×20 cm. then layers of fat slabs (skin side down) topped with one-centimetre layers of salt go into a wooden box or barrel for curing. for added flavouring and better preservation, the salo may be covered with a thick layer of paprika (usually in the more western lands; in russian salo with paprika is called "hungarian"), minced garlic, or sometimes black pepper.