Salami

Winter Salami

The salami or salame (in Italian, the first form is originally the plural of the second, see use) is a sausage that is made with a mixture of meats of beef and pork seasoned and that is later smoked and air-cured, similar to salchichón. Almost all Italian varieties are seasoned with garlic, but not the German ones. Traditionally it was made with pork, but now it is more and more often made with a mixture of beef (cow) and pork. There are also varieties that carry only beef. It is typical of the gastronomy of Italy and that of various Central European countries, such as Hungary.

Use of the word

In Italian salame means 'salty sausage', that is to say to emphasize its salty flavor, or to indicate the use of salt in its preparation. In the plural, the word salami is used. In many Spanish-speaking countries, salami is used for the singular, and salamis for the plural. In the Southern Cone of America, the etymological singular "salami" is used with the plural “salami”. In Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, salame and salamín are used, depending on the size.

Regional varieties in Italy

Italian Salami (Friuli)

There are at least almost 40 different types of salami in Italy. It can be identified with the meat content (with mixtures of pork and veal) and fat, with the spices used, the duration of drying and the diameter of the sausage. In Italy the production center has been in Modena for many years now; however, salami is internationally known. The salami that comes from Italy is air dried, however the one from Naples is lightly smoked. In Monteverde, after a long maturation process, an exquisite flavor is achieved. The best known and most famous are those of Bologna and Bergamo.

Today salami is made in almost all European countries, but these salami stand out well from the types made in Italy. European salami makers often refer to their products with labels such as "In the manner of" (in Italian alla maniera de or all uso di), in this way one has for example in some tags "in the Milanese way" or "in the Veronese way", etc.

In Italy there are different levels of qualification for salami, and they are: extra, prima, seconda, terza i> and lower. The quality depends on the choice of ingredients; for example an "Extra Salami" it can have only pork meat and the other qualities only veal meat. However there are different regional exceptions; for example, the salami from Milan contains for this denomination "extra" veal.

There are different types of salami or variants of salami that resemble it, such as Finocchiona (Hinojona), Cacciatore (hunter), or variants of Spianata (esplanade) and the Soppressata (overpressed). Not forgetting also the so-called Salsiccia, that is, sausages made with minced meat and spices (without aerating).

Feline's salami

In Italy and the rest of Europe, Felino salami began to be appreciated due to its delicate sweetness in contrast to the aromas of its curing. Its content is pork in large pieces and bacon of the best quality. This Salami is made in the small town of Felino which is located 15 kilometers south of Parma. The quality of this salami not only comes from the use of the best meats but also because its salting is quite balanced (2.8% salt) and is also dried in the natural air of the mountains in the province of Emilia (at the foot of the Apennines).
This type of salami is left to cure in the air for around three to six months (depending on quality), during the first three months it loses almost 25% of its weight. Feline salami tubers usually weigh between 400 and 500 g (or between 4 and 5 etti, there being good specimens that can reach 800 or more.

Milano salami

The salame di Milano is the salami produced in Milan; made equally with pork and beef, garlic, pepper and white wine are added to the bite. Milan salami is recognized by its small pieces of white fat in contrast to its deep red color. In the United States, this is usually the salami that can be found in restaurants and in stores.

Veronese salami

Verona salami (salame veronese) belongs to an Italian elaboration of great tradition. You can find two types of Veronese salami: with garlic (tipo all'aglio) and without garlic (tipo dolce). It is made exclusively with pork and fat, the fat content of this salami is certainly high, being able to reach 40% or 50% of its weight. Veronese salami is air-cured for just four months and loses a quarter of its weight. The ready-to-eat sausage keeps for a long time.

Fabriano's salami

Fabriano salami is made in the town of Fabriano, between Ancona and Perugia at 1700 m s. no. m. being dried by very cold winds. Formerly it contained minced pork and fat, so it has been known for centuries in this region. Today the factories make a salami that also contains veal (the mixture is between 37% pork and 25% beef).

Neapolitan (or Napoli) salami

Salami from Naples contains a third of its weight in pork. It is left to dry for three months and has a slightly spicy flavor.

Other varieties

There are other regional varieties in Italy such as salame di Varzi made in Pavia with pork and flavored with red wine, the very dark Tuscan salami, the salame da Sugo (juice salami) made in Ferrara made with pork contains various spices mixed with red wine.

In the Dominican Republic

A Dominican Salami

Salami in the Dominican Republic is a fundamental part of the daily diet, especially among the poorest classes, since it is a nutritious and inexpensive food. The most popular variety is the "Super Especial", made from pork, beef and chicken together with flour, enriching ingredients and seasonings. It has a very different preparation from other salamis, being precooked but not cured and is usually fried or stewed, since it is not customary to eat it cold. Some companies add herring to enhance the flavor along with pork and beef. The country has a wide variety of salamis, although their preparation differs from traditional methods and ingredients. Some are made from pork, turkey or chicken, adding sour orange or olive oil in their more expensive versions. Some supermarket chains have created their own brand of salami, varying the original recipe, and contain 99% meat, their characteristic flavor is lost, although they are preferred by those with special diets.

Southern Cone

In Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay it is called salame in the singular and salames in the plural. Along with ham, salami is one of the most popular cold cuts in those countries, being –in general– very similar to Milano salami. The varieties of salami produced in the region are distinguished according to their internal texture into coarsely chopped, finely chopped, sopressattas, and salamines; They are usually more spicy and thus more tanned, dry (and therefore darker) and harder than those from Italy.

In Argentina various productive centers arose from the second half of the 19th century, centers in which a large immigration from Italy settled, it is for this reason that in the entire Humid Pampa: the entire province of Buenos Aires Aires -where the cities of Mercedes and Tandil stand out-, the eastern 3/4 of the province of Córdoba (Río Cuarto, Villa María, San Francisco, Caroya, Oncativo, Corralito, Monte Ralo, etc.), most of from the province of Santa Fe and the east of the province of La Pampa, excellent salami is made with great quality and in large quantities. Outside the Humid Pampa, salami is common, with important producers being the provinces of Entre Ríos, Mendoza, Santiago del Estero, San Luis and Río Negro.

In the Río de la Plata and Paraguay, the salami slices are used mainly to prepare sandwiches such as those with crumbs, or for certain pizzas such as the so-called "a la calabresa" or, in cubes, as a main ingredient in picadas.

In the city of Mercedes, in the province of Buenos Aires, the "Fiesta Nacional del Salami Quintero" is held, in which there is a Queen elected every year.

The La Sierra Festival takes place in Tandil, where the world's longest salami is presented, a challenge that began in 2014 and continues to this day, respecting the quality standards that make salami of the denomination of origin from Tandil a genuine and historical product of the region.

In the 2020 edition, the longest salami in the world, weighing 273 kilos, was made with 60% pork, 20% beef and 20% bacon and involved the work of more than 100 collaborators.