Salame Cremona

Appearance & taste

The sausage is cylindrical, irregularly shaped in places, and compact and soft. At production it is at least 65 mm in diameter and 150 mm long; at the end of ripening it weighs at least 500 g. The cut is firm and even, intensely red and without visible cartilage. Typically, the lean and fat parts merge into one another and are not clearly separated; this is called “smelmato”. The sausage has a spicy aroma and, according to the specification, is sweet, mild and very aromatic.

It contains at least 20 % protein; water and fat may each make up at most twice the protein content, and the pH is at least 5.2.

Production

All steps take place in the production area: salting, mixing the ingredients, filling the casings, tying, drying and ripening. Portioning and packaging are also only allowed there. According to the specification, the sausage would otherwise have to be heat-treated for transport and later cutting, which would change its characteristics.

The label shows the name and “Indicazione Geografica Protetta” or “IGP” in larger letters than the other information, together with the EU logo for the PGI.

Origin & history

The production area lies in the Po plain: a uniform alluvial plain crossed by rivers and canals, with meadows and maize fields. Autumn and winter are fairly harsh, very damp and foggy, spring is mild and rainy, and summer is hot with frequent heavy showers. According to the specification, pig farming can be traced back to Roman times. It developed together with cheesemaking and maize growing, first around Cremona and then throughout the Po plain, for a long time on family farms and later increasingly in commercial businesses.

Deeds from 1231 in the State Archives of Cremona document the trade in pigs and meat products between Cremona and the surrounding states. Reports on the visits of Bishop Cesare Speciano (1599–1606) to the convents of the area mention that salami was also handed out on days when rich food was eaten. Between 1950 and 1970 “Salame Cremona” was on the lists of Italian foods with designations of origin that were part of Italy’s agreements with Germany, France, Austria and Spain on the protection of designations of origin. To this day it is represented at the food fairs of Lombardy and the Po plain.