Salame S. Angelo

Appearance & taste

The sausage is sold in various sizes. It is cylindrical with an irregular, mottled surface and the whitish coating of a raw sausage. It is tender and firm. The slice is dense and even, with fat and lean well bound together; the lean is ruby red, the fat white. It has a delicate aroma and tastes slightly spicy and aromatic.

Immediately after filling and tying, each sausage receives a seal. The label shows the name, “Indicazione Geografica Protetta” or “IGP”, the logo and a numerical code for the individual piece; other additions are prohibited. It is sold loose, vacuum-packed or in a protective atmosphere, whole, in pieces or sliced.

Production

The meat comes from pigs of the Large White, Landrace and Duroc breeds, from crosses between them or with local pigs. The animals come from EU countries and weigh at least 125 kg after slaughter; meat from sows and boars is prohibited. The pig halves arrive at the plant with the head. The meat may not be frozen and may be stored chilled at 0 to 4 °C for at most six days from the day of slaughter.

Trimmed cuts from the leg, loin, fillet, shoulder or neck are used, as well as skinned belly; back fat is prohibited. Meat and fat are cut with the tip of a knife or by machine into 12 mm cubes. Only sea salt, coarsely ground black pepper and potassium nitrate are added; visible fat may be at most 20 %. The pig’s casing is tied off on the inside at the lower end, turned inside out, filled and closed at the top. Drying and ripening take place in well-ventilated, separate rooms whose location and orientation guide the outside air evenly around the sausages. At the end, the inspection body checks whether the sausage has the required characteristics.

Origin & history

The sausage is made and ripened only in the municipality of Sant’Angelo di Brolo. According to the specification, its valley differs clearly from the neighbouring valleys: its slopes shield it from sea winds and cold mountain winds, and air flow, temperature and humidity create a microclimate like that of a large ripening room, which cannot be reproduced elsewhere.

Protection is based on the reputation of the sausage, whose production, according to the specification, goes back to old traditions and has been passed on from generation to generation. As evidence, the specification cites sales invoices of 10 January 1982 and a degree thesis entitled “Salame S. Angelo: Prodotto di Nicchia”. There have even been attempts to imitate the sausage and misuse its name.