Italian salami.

SAUSAGES

Place the sausages in hot water, bring to a boil and let sit for 10-15 minutes until they warm up. Sausages are served in their natural form (boiled) or with a side dish, as well as fried. In this case, the sausages are cut in half (lengthwise) and fried in oil; When serving, pour the same oil over the side dish. For 500 g of sausages - 500 g of potatoes, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of butter and 1/2 cup milk (for mashed potatoes).

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Salama da sugo IGP

Salami da sugo is a sausage typical of the province of Ferrara, but completely unusual in appearance. It contains pork meat, tongue and liver, wine, salt and spices (nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, pepper). It is shaped like a melon and tied with twine. May be covered with a coating of white mold that appears naturally during ripening. The weight of the heads ranges from 0.7 to 1.4 kg. The color is dark brown, the aroma is intense, the structure is soft and grainy. Minimum aging period 6 months.

The peculiarity of salami da sugo is that it is most often additionally prepared before use. Soak in cold water to soften the plaque, carefully wash with brushes, and then cook for at least 4 hours. It is important that the skin of the sausage is not damaged. The finished product is eaten warm with potato or pumpkin puree, cut into portions.

Salame Cremona IGP

Cremona salami is made from pigs raised in the area where Parma ham (Prosciutto di Parma) and (Prosciutto di San Daniele) are produced.

It is a mixture of fresh pork with salt and crushed garlic, stuffed into the intestines of pigs, cattle, sheep or horses.

Ripening period from 5 weeks to more than 4 months. Salami has the shape of a cylinder with a diameter of 65 mm and a length of 150 mm. The weight of the finished product is 500 g. The sausage is cut softly even after long-term aging. The color is intensely red, the aroma is rich, the taste is spicy. Cremona goes well with vegetables, fruits, breads and cheeses.

Salame d'Oca di Mortara IGP It is prepared from pork and goose meat. In the last 3 months of life, geese should eat exclusively green food and grain and weigh at least 4 kg before slaughter. The casing for the sausage is goose skin. The texture is uniform and does not crumble. The cut color is dark red interspersed with fat. The smell is spicy, the taste is delicate and soft. The size of the sausage ranges from 0.3 to 4 kg. Salami di Mortara goes well with fresh and stewed vegetables.

Salame Sant'Angelo IGP

Salami Sant'Angelo is a sausage made from pigs raised in Nebrodi. It has an elongated cylindrical shape and a natural white coating. The consistency is delicate and compact. The color of the meat is ruby red, the fat is white. The smell is delicate, the taste is spicy, aromatic, obtained due to the special microclimate of the valley. The holding time ranges from 30 to 90 days. The size of fat inclusions is larger compared to other varieties. Salami Sant'Angelo is eaten as an appetizer or appetizer.

Salame Felino IGP

Salami Felino is a product from the city of the same name in the province (Parma). In addition to meat and spices, the sausage contains dry white wine, which distinguishes it from other varieties. The weight of the sausage stick varies from 0.2 to 4.5 kg, the shape is cylindrical. The texture is compact, not elastic. The color is ruby red. The aroma is delicate, the taste is sweet. The minimum ripening time is 25 days. The size of the slices is very important for consumption. Traditionally, Felino salami is cut quite thick (7 mm) and long (the cut is made diagonally). It is served in combination with bread and Parma ham.

Salame Piemonte IGP

The Piedmontese salami production area is limited to the territory of the region of the same name. In addition to seasonings, the sausage is flavored with red wines from Nebiollo, Barbera and Dolcetto grapes. The salami stick has a cylindrical shape and weighs at least 300 g. The cut is ruby red, the texture is compact and uniform, interspersed with lard and pepper grains. The taste is sweet and delicate due to the short aging (10-50 days depending on weight). Piedmontese salami has the aroma of aged wine and garlic. Slice it just before serving. Eat with fresh bread, mustard, cheeses and salads. Sausage is also served with various cereals and mashed potatoes.

Salame di Varzi DOP

Salami di Varzi comes from the municipality of Varzi in the province of Pavia. Sausage is a mixture of fresh meat and coarsely cut lard. The fat content is approximately 30-33% of the total weight of the product. The shape of the product is cylindrical, the cut color is bright red with white inclusions of lard. The consistency is elastic, the texture is compact. Aging time depends on weight and variety: Varzi-Filzetta (0.5-0.7 kg, aged 45 days), Varzi-Filzettone (0.5-1 kg, aged 60 days), Varzi-Sottocrespone (1-2 kg , ripening 120 days), Varzi-Cucito (1-2 kg, ripening 180 days). The taste is sweet and delicate. Salami di Varzi is cut into thick slices and complemented with vegetable salads with vegetable oil, cheeses and wines.

Salame Brianza DOP

Salami Brianza is produced from pigs raised in the regions (Emilia-Romagna), (Lombardia) and Piedmont. In addition to salt, pepper, garlic and wine, sugar can be added to the product. The shape is cylindrical, the consistency is compact and not elastic. The cut color is ruby red. The smell is delicate, the taste is very sweet. Ripening time depends on size and varies from 15 days to more than 5 months. Salami Brianza is served as an appetizer with alcoholic drinks. It is used in many recipes.

For example, the salad that we call “Olivier” is called “Russian salad” (Insalata Russa) in Italy and they put salami in it.

Salame Piacentino DOP

Piacentino salami is made from the meat and fat of pigs in the province of Piacenza. The fat content is from 10 to 30%. The finished product has a cylindrical shape and weighs from 400 g to 1 kg. The texture is compact. The cut color is bright red with clearly visible inclusions of fat. The smell is characterized by a delicate aroma of meat with a slight hint of spice. The taste is delicate, almost unsweetened, becoming more intense with age. Exposure depends on weight and is at least 45 days. Piacentino salami is eaten as an appetizer and used in recipes.

Salamini Italiani alla Cacciatora DOP

Italian Cacciatore salami is produced in 11 regions of Italy.

Its name translates as “hunter”. This is due to the tradition of people taking salami as a snack when hunting.

Sausage differs from other varieties by its rich history. The shape of the product is cylindrical, length about 20 cm and diameter 6 cm. Weighs on average 350 g. The texture is dense, not elastic. The cut is ruby red with evenly distributed lard grains. The aroma is subtle, the taste is sweet and delicate without sourness. The minimum ripening time is 10 days. Cacciatore is eaten with unsalted bread and complemented with good sparkling wine, cheeses, fruits and vegetables. Fits perfectly in salads.

Salame di Milano

Salami Milano is not included in the DOP and IGP categories. However, it is one of the most famous varieties among Italian salamis. It is made from a mixture of finely minced pork and beef, which is seasoned with salt and a small amount of seasoning and stuffed into a natural or synthetic casing. Exposure time is about 3 months. The cut color is bright red, almost ruby. The taste is delicate. Milano salami is served as part of a meat plate. Milanese eat it with traditional michetta bread.

Origin

The history of salami on the territory of modern Italy began in the period. The name of the product comes from the Latin word salumen, but it appears only in the Middle Ages and means that the product is stored with salt. This was the name given not only to meat, but also to fish. However, over time, the term "salami" became more and more associated with pork.

Mass production of salami began in the Middle Ages, when the first large pigsties appeared in close proximity to milk processing sites. Waste from the production of cheeses and cottage cheese is ideal for pig feed. The birth of such an industry and the unique microclimate of Italy create ideal conditions for the spread of the art of meat preservation. Minced pork was mixed with wine and spices. This salami was sent to the ceremonial tables of nobles and feudal lords.

In the 12th century, at the court of the Malaspina family, they served a “new” sausage, aged in wine cellars and “flavored” with smoke. And in 1581 the word “salame” appears for the first time in a cookbook and refers to pork sausage. Previously, sausages were referred to as insicia. Later, salami moved onto the tables of rural residents, when raising pigs became an indispensable resource for survival.
The art of making salami developed differently depending on the region of Italy. Which inevitably led to a variety of varieties of Italian salame, even in the same region.

Production

The quality of Italian salami is maintained not only in the production workshop. Even the territory and food for raising pigs, whose meat is used in making sausage, are regulated. Animals weighing 160-180 kg are sent for slaughter. The basis of their diet consists of grains and milk by-products. As a result of such nutrition, raw materials are rich in saturated fatty acids and have low cholesterol levels.

Salami, however, may contain not only pork, but also meat from sheep, goats, horses, geese, donkeys, wild boars and their offal.

Although the fat part is taken only from pigs because of its organoleptic properties.

Before cooking, stringy areas and fatty tissue are removed from the meat. It is thoroughly cleaned and cooled to a temperature of 7 degrees. Which parts of the carcass are used to make salami, as well as the fineness of grinding, depend on the type of sausage.

Salt and spices are added to the minced meat, the presence of which is determined by the type of product. Spices used include garlic, black and white pepper (ground or beans), dill, nutmeg, cloves and others. In some regions of Italy there are unusual salamis. For example, with walnuts or pistachios. A non-standard method can also be called adding milk or wine to the raw material. The law allows the use of sodium nitrite as a coloring agent and weak preservative.

Sausage dough is stuffed into a natural (pigs, sheep, cattle and horses intestines) or synthetic (cellulose) casing. To pre-dry, the sausage is sent to warm rooms for 3-7 days. Further ripening occurs at a temperature of 10-15 degrees. Aging times vary depending on the variety. The final stage of preparation for certain types of salami may be slight smoking to impart a specific aroma.

Calorie content and benefits The calorie content of salami, like other products, directly depends on its variety.

It is not possible to consider everything, so we will focus on Salami Milano - the most famous and best-selling Italian sausage in the world. The number of calories per 100 g is 384 kcal, which consists of:
Protein 25.4 g (101.4 kcal);
Fat 31 g (278.4 kcal);

Carbohydrates 1.1 g (4.2 kcal).

Salami Milano is a product with high energy value. However, the lard in it is easily digestible due to the development of beneficial microflora during the ripening of the sausage.

Pork meat is very rich in protein, which is necessary as a building component for the human body. In addition, fermentation of proteins during aging of the product leads to better absorption.

Salami is recommended for nutrition for people with reduced weight and lack of appetite, during periods of mental and physiological stress, and during recovery. If you do not belong to any category, but still love salami, you should know that you can spend calories from 100 g of salami:

Cleaning the house for 2.5 hours;
Brisk walking 1 hour;
Running at an average speed of 27 minutes;
Playing football for 34 minutes;
Swim for 40 minutes.

The disadvantage of the product is the high content of sodium chloride (salt), excessive consumption of which contributes to the formation of arterial hypertension.

Homemade recipe

Often, home lovers of culinary exploits settle on the most exotic and irresistible options. One of them can be called salami. If you search for a recipe for it at home on Italian websites, then at best you will find a way to prepare sweet sausage for dessert.

We will share with you a simple recipe for homemade sausage. But, in fairness, we note that it is impossible to cook real Italian salami in your kitchen. So, we will need:

Pork – 850 g;
Lard – 150 g;
Salt – 25 g;
Dry wine – 10 ml;
Pepper – 5 g;
Garlic – 5 cloves;
Spices to taste;
Pork intestines.

You can use a variety of spices in the recipe (cloves, nutmeg, ginger, etc.). It all depends on your taste. The intestines are usually sold clean, but still, they should be washed additionally under running water. Why do we take pork? They are optimal in diameter.

Grind lard (10 mm thick slices) and meat (small cubes). Place the pork in the freezer until it is slightly frozen (but not frozen). We twist the meat in a meat grinder with large diameter holes, and finely chop the lard by hand.

Add salt, wine and spices to the mixture and mix thoroughly. Using a sausage attachment, fill the intestines with minced meat. We make constrictions along the length to form sausages. Carefully inspect the resulting sausage for the presence of air bubbles. If there are any, then they need to be pierced.

We wrap the sausages with twine and hang them in a cool room with low humidity for about 7 days. During this time, the product will lose some of its moisture and acquire the required consistency.

Cooked sausage “ala salami” should be stored in the refrigerator. It will be an excellent snack for alcoholic drinks. You can also make a salami pizza by adding cheese, tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, onions and slices of your homemade masterpiece.

Price

Conquering Italy and acquiring salami at the same time is a rather interesting holiday option. Moreover, you can easily find it, with virtually no effort. The famous Milano salami in its homeland can be purchased at prices ranging from 12 to 25 euros per 1 kg.

Domestic stores offer 1 kg of Italian product for 3000-3500 rubles. Russian-made products with the name “Salami Milano” are priced at 1,500 rubles per 1 kg.

The not at all sad story about salami has come to an end. Eating a piece of sausage with some crusty bread and then going for a run around the city seems like the perfect way to start the day. Live brightly, love secretly, travel deliciously and remember: “You don’t go to Italy with your own salami!”

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Sausage for our man, whatever you say, is a cult product. After all, it was this that replaced hazel grouse meat in chef Olivier’s famous salad. It is she who invariably flaunts on the so-called “meat plates”. Refrigerators filled with sausage have been associated with prosperity since Soviet times. It is not surprising that sausage, despite the protests of ardent supporters of an absolutely healthy diet, ranks fourth in the ranking of food products that are in constant demand among the population, second only to dairy products, baked goods and potatoes.

First name - Sausage, and last name? Choose sausages: meat or meat-containing

In meat products, in fact, the meat component is large, truly the lion's share - more than 60% (these are top-grade boiled sausages, raw smoked sausages and salami). Meat-containing sausages can be meat-vegetable (when there is meat from 60% to 30% - depending on your luck), vegetable-meat (here there is no less than 5% meat but, as a rule, no more) or analogues of meat products (almost without meat, but with its aroma and taste, “what progress has reached”). So pay attention to the “last name” of your sausage.
Vegetarian sausage?

You can find soy as a herbal additive in low-grade sausages. This will not cause any harm to your body. Please note: if the soybean is genetically modified, you will definitely see the inscription “The product contains GMOs (GMI)” on the sausage. By the way, in the Republic of Belarus it is prohibited to use GMI in baby food. Soy is a “very tricky thing”: it is added to the composition to increase the yield of the finished product (soy protein retains water in the sausage). Sometimes cereals and beans are added to meat-containing sausage. This doesn't make the sausage any less healthy, but it does make it less meaty.

What will end up in your mouth: sausage according to GOST or TU?

When the composition of the sausage is developed by the manufacturer itself, it is considered to comply with the specifications (technical conditions). In contrast to the GOSTs (state standards) adopted by the state, each manufacturer can come up with them himself, but with a safety check and coordination with the State Sanitary Inspection authorities. One of the indirect signs that the sausage is made not according to GOST, but according to TU, is the name. For example, such a sausage will no longer be called “Doctorskaya” (in accordance with GOST), but with some prefix, say, “Doctorskaya Lux”.

What's inside boiled sausage?

Understanding the composition of sausage is even easier than understanding the composition of cosmetics: the ingredients here are also arranged in descending order. For example, the composition of premium sausages from a Belarusian producer: pork, pork lard (i.e. lard), milk, melange (i.e. frozen egg mass), salt, food additive. Or here’s another composition: pork, beef, pork lard, raw beef fat, milk, eggs, salt, food additive. Accordingly, these products contain the most pork and the least amount of food additives. Thank God it's not the other way around :)

Selecting “varenka” based on the shell

If you plan to take sausages for only one meal, it is better to choose natural casings. But if you take the product “in reserve”, then the choice should be made in favor of artificial vapor-gas-permeable casings: they allow you to increase the shelf life up to 20-30 days (but this is only if the sausage loaf is not cut). Know that poultry meat fats are less resistant to oxidation, so eat sausage with this component almost immediately.

Maybe there was a coating on the sausage?

A white coating on raw smoked expensive sausages is not at all a sign of spoilage; on the contrary, it is a source of antimicrobial substances. Before eating, do not wash such sausage with water, but simply wipe it with vegetable oil.

Sorting

Dear experts, attention, question: what are the white veins in sausage (for example, in salami)?

This is connective tissue. In premium sausage the amount of such tissue is minimal; but the lower the grade, the greater its share in the product composition. Ungraded sausage has the lowest nutritional value.

Hit list of nutritional supplements

It is allowed to add a food additive to sausages that accelerates the ripening of sausages; sodium nitrite to maintain bright color; the notorious monosodium glutamate to enhance taste and aroma, etc. Special bacteria can even be added to salami, which also accelerate the ripening of sausages. Be that as it may, all food additives must be included in the list of approved for use in Belarus and not exceed permissible levels. The latter, unfortunately, is extremely difficult for the consumer to check when purchasing.

What does a goat need an accordion for, and why does a sausage need phosphates?

Phosphates (E450-452) are real hard workers: they retain moisture in sausages, stabilize color and improve consistency. In fresh meat (immediately after slaughter, especially in the meat of young bulls), the moisture-binding ability of the protein is at the optimal level - the sausage is “finger-licking” even without phosphates. But, unfortunately, defrosted meat from cows and pigs is more often used to make sausage. It has lower moisture absorption, as a result of which sausage made from such meat, without a moisture-binding agent, may turn out to be watery and tasteless. To prevent this unpleasant phenomenon, you need to add a small (!) amount of phosphates.

Phosphates can be included in all sausages in an amount of no more than 400 mg per 100 g of product. They are also “useful” in that when they are added, the weight loss of the product during cooking is reduced and the yield of finished sausage increases (a clever economic benefit); In addition, the sausage acquires stable properties during storage. Phosphates, by binding water, make sausages more juicy, homogeneous, beautiful, without broth-fat swelling.

However, everything is good in moderation! Due to the excessive concentration of phosphates, the protein dissolves, and when the sausage is cooked, the minced meat becomes loose. Therefore, if the sausage is loose rather than tightly rolled into a loaf, this may be a litmus test for high phosphate content. At the same time, the nutritional value of the product decreases: there is less protein in the sausage, and more water, thanks to phosphates.

Do “sausage” phosphates harm us?

If sausage is on your table every day, there will be an obvious fact of excess phosphate intake into the body. The result is a deterioration in calcium absorption and leaching of existing calcium from the bones. The following symptoms will help to suspect hypocalcemia (i.e., a decrease in calcium levels in the body) in practically healthy people: general weakness, increased fatigue, dry skin, brittle nails and hair, progressive dental diseases (caries and periodontitis), paresthesia (goosebumps). on the skin) and muscle twitching (for example, cramping of the toes), in children - poor posture and slow growth. Such people often experience fractures, as they say, “from scratch.” Probably, the hero of “The Diamond Arm” abused sausages.

In addition, excess phosphates leads to the formation of stones in the kidneys and gall bladder, complicates the functioning of the liver and gastrointestinal tract, there is a predisposition to anemia (since there is a connection between the exchange of phosphorus and iron in the body) and the risk of calcium deposition in blood vessels and tissues.

Decrease brightness

We've all seen how red meat turns grey-pink when cooked. So why do cooked sausages remain bright pink, and some even raspberry? The fact is that the addition of sodium nitrite and ascorbic acid “fixes” the bright color of the sausage. In concentrations permitted for use on the territory of Belarus (up to 0.005 mg per 100 g), sodium nitrite solution does not have a harmful effect on health.

However, when eating sausages, be aware that an “overdose” of sodium nitrite can cause cancer. By the way, ascorbic acid in this case will be a useful antagonist (therefore it is important to see the presence of E 250 + E 300 in the recipe). The possible harm from sodium nitrite can also be neutralized by adding vegetables to the sausage sandwich: lettuce, tomatoes, peppers.

What else?

Starch is good in jelly, but not in sausage: premium sausage should not contain starch. To check the integrity of the manufacturer, you can conduct an iodine test at home, familiar from the time you studied school chemistry. Grind a piece of sausage and add a drop of iodine - in the presence of starch you will see the sausage “blue”. You can also cut a thin slice of sausage and roll it into a tube: if there is little or no starch, the slice will not break.

Those on a diet should take into account that boiled sausages contain a fairly high percentage of animal fats. Try an experiment: put a piece of cooked (without lard) sausage in a hot frying pan without oil and see how much fat melts out of this piece. The same applies to sausages. Raw smoked or dry-cured sausage is “more honest” in this regard: the amount of bacon is immediately visible there.

Also, when choosing boiled sausage in a store, pay attention that there are no large voids in the cut, because the reason for this may be, on the one hand, a technological defect, and on the other, the possible proliferation of botulism bacillus (since it comes with the obligatory formation gases, a cavity is formed). By the way, translated from Latin botulus (“botulus”) means sausage.

Is it possible for everyone, does everyone need it?

We are what we eat. And eating habits are formed from childhood. Therefore, you should not buy sausages every day to feed your family. Sausages are high in salt, saturated fat and cholesterol; sausages have an irritating effect on the digestive tract and urinary system. Their consumption should especially be limited to those who suffer from arterial hypertension, excess body weight, gout, gastrointestinal diseases, urolithiasis and cardiac dysfunction.

What kind of sausage is best to buy for children?

It is better not to give sausages to children under three years of age; for older children, choose boiled sausages and frankfurters recommended for baby food (they usually have funny names: “Totoshka”, “Tiger Cubs”, etc.). They must first be boiled in water without the polyethylene shell (or placed in a microwave oven in a sealed container for several minutes without water). Excess fat, as well as salt and sodium nitrite, will sink into oblivion, that is, they will go into the water.

Among the more expensive sausages, as a not very common delicacy, you can give your child a small piece of dry-cured sausage. However, this is a product that is difficult for children to digest and should not replace the main meal. It is better not to give raw smoked sausage to children, since during the smoking process substances that are unfavorable for the body are formed, which are not unreasonably attributed to carcinogenic properties. By the way, since September 1, 2010, raw smoked sausage has been on the list of prohibited foods for school canteens in Belarus.

What do we have - how do we store it?

It turns out that the terms and conditions for storing sausages depend on the composition of the food additive and the type of casing. All this data must be indicated on the label. Boiled sausage, sausages and sausages are perishable products: their temperature is from 0 to 6 degrees, the period is on average from 2 to 5 days. Although, let us remind you that some manufacturers (thanks to special artificial shells) claim a shelf life of up to 30 days (with an uncut loaf and in the refrigerator).

The lower the grade of sausage, the shorter its shelf life. Semi-smoked sausages (not vacuum-packed in film) are stored in the refrigerator from the moment of production for no more than 12 days, and if sliced, no more than 10 days. Raw smoked and dry-cured sausages are a product of longer shelf life (up to 3-4 months). The drier the sausage, the longer it will be stored. Therefore, when choosing such a sausage, do not hesitate to “test the waters” and “push where it hurts.” Press the sausage with your fingers: if it is firm and there are no fingerprints left on it, then the sausage is well dried.

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