Sausage and salami: history and use in cooking

Sausages and salami have been part of the gastronomic tradition of our country for centuries. The origin is common and refers to the use of residual meat deriving from the processing of more valuable cuts. To understand how ancient the art of making sausages and working meat is, we need to go back to the time of the Etruscans and Romans, look at the meeting of the Roman world with the Germanic one and then move on to one of the characteristic features of our country: typicality and differentiation existing between regions, geographical areas within regions, cities and small villages, each with a different tradition. But let's go in order.

In Roman times, cured meats were called insicia (a term that refers to the operation of bagging meat) or botulus. It is only in the late Latin period that the term salumen begins to make headway, which however at the beginning indicates all foods processed with salt and which only centuries later will become exclusively referred to sausages and seasoned pork. With the decline of Rome and the arrival of the barbarian populations, even the gastronomic customs changed: thanks to the Longobards, different traditions progressively spread, including that of the processing of meat, especially pork. Areas more suited to the art of charcuterie begin to emerge, which coincide with the territories in which the presence of the Lombards is more marked. The first places of processing were convents and grange, ante litteram farms, which became spaces for collecting pork from the surrounding countryside. If the term still used to indicate salami is salumen, without specific distinctions, after the year 1000, following an ever-increasing consumption not only of pork but also of northern fish, different words had to be used to distinguish the products: it was then that salamem appears, flanked by salacca, which however is not yet exclusive to the product. The "salamems" were sold by the "Lardaroli", whose business became, like many others, a corporation: the lardaroli then defined rules for the production and characteristics of the product, which progressively ends up differentiating itself according to the geographical area, outlining a real territorial characterisation of the recipes, which will gradually define the local typicality, the true strength of the Italian tradition. A different taste is also slowly emerging, with the North preferring flavours that tend to be sweeter and the South looking towards more decisive flavours. In the following centuries the success of cured meats grew and in the Renaissance we witnessed their definitive affirmation: their appearance at court and on the rich tables of princes and nobles was a sign of a true and proper consecration. At the end of the 16th century, in the manual "Trinciante" by Vincenzo Cervio, the noun "salami" appears for the first time and the name " salumiere" is established for the craftsman who works pork. Instead, the medieval "lardarolo" disappears and the terms "norcino" and "norcineria" remain in Central and Southern Italy. The production of salami becomes increasingly widespread, transversally appreciated and detached from the need to recover less noble cuts, or to preserve in salt for a long time: salami

BY CATERINA VIANELLO

becomes a matter of taste and specificity, with terms and denominations that soon become known, such as Milano salami or Hungarian salami or Napoli salami. If the affirmation of an industrial production process has multiplied and made the tasting possibilities accessible, the territorial element is still a winner, with small niche productions that deserve to be known and valued. Differences therefore remain the strong point of the Italian tradition: even if the processing and production phases are similar (shredding, mixing with salt and herbs, bagging and maturing are common moments), the art determines very different flavours. In fact, we have more than 100 recognized traditional salamis: origin of the meat, production area, type of cut used, type of grain, types of spices used (garlic, chilli pepper, fennel seeds, peppercorns, juniper), quantity and quality of fat, duration and maturing conditions, shape and size, smoking, mold... each of these elements contributes to returning a different result. If from north to south of the peninsula you are spoiled for choice – Lombardy has Brianza (PDO), Cremona (PGI, Lombardy) and

Salame di Varzi (PDO), in Emilia Romagna Felino (PGI) and Piacentino (PDO), in Sicily that of S. Angelo (PGI) – the advice, to make the best use of salami on pizza is to add it at the right time, so that the heat does not dry out the meat. Deserving of mention are the salami of Naples, with a fine grain, elongated cylindrical shape, external surface of a deep red colour, compact and non-elastic consistency, typical smoky smell, sweet and characteristic smoked flavour; the Tuscan finocchiona, pink in colour and whose strong point is its spiciness; the salame felino, the pride of the Parma area, with a ruby red color and a sweet and delicate taste. For spicy lovers, it is impossible not to mention the Calabrian 'nduja, a unique "salami" in terms of texture and flavour. Sausage is similar in use but more versatile on pizza, as it cooks well by only partially altering its flavour, and can be used fresh (cooking it in the oven for the cooking time of the pizza), crumbled ( so as to release its fat thus adding flavour) or, if seasoned and very tasty, added in the last few minutes of cooking. It is also widespread from north to south (and with different names: luganega, salamella, salamina…), and finds its origin in the Roman world. The first historical testimony is that of the Roman historian Marco Terenzio Varrone, who attributes its invention to the Lucanians:

SALAMELLA: originally from Lombardy, it is a pure pork sausage, for the preparation of which only bacon and shoulder are used. The meats are flavored with a blend of spices and stuffed into mutton casings.

KNIFE POINT SAUSAGE: the regions with the strongest vocation are those of Southern Italy, in particular Campania, Calabria and Sicily. It is a coarse-grained sausage obtained by dicing parts of the pig such as shoulder, belly, leg and lard into cubes. These are cuts that, if minced, would be ruined both in terms of texture and taste with the heat given off by the machine. That's the reason behind the knife.

TUSCAN SAUSAGE: soft, rouned, made using pork shoulder and leg and flavored with garlic, black pepper, and also thyme and rosemary, it is appreciated for its balanced flavour.

It is generally produced by filling a natural casing with a mixture of lean parts (for example the shoulder) and fat parts (bacon) cut into cubes (or minced) and mixed with salt. Spices are then added to this mixture. Although it is practically impossible to draw an atlas of regional varieties (sweet, hot, spicy, smoked), a distinction can be attempted.

LUGANEGA: belongs to the Venetian, Lombard and Trentino culinary tradition, where it is recognized as a PAT. It is generally made up of pork, black pepper and garlic. There are variants with sheep and horse meat.

Though every region of Italy deserves to be valued for the variety of sausage typical of the area, we can still mention some ever valid combinations and some more unusual proposals. Among the best combinations are that between sausage and friarelli (the sprouts in the softest part of turnip tops), that between sausage and potatoes (perfect for the cold season), that with sausage and gorgonzola (for palates that love intense combinations), that of sausage with pumpkin and sausage with courgettes. For lovers of local specialties, it is worth mentioning some gourmet proposals: this is the case of pizza with Caserta black pork sausage, Agerola provola and yellow and red curly Neapolitan papaccella peppers, or that with Casentino gray wild pig sausage with potatoes.

BY GIUSY FERRAINA