Salamini italiani alla cacciatora

Appearance & taste

The salamini are cylindrical and measure at most 60 mm in diameter and 200 mm in length; one sausage weighs at most 350 g. They are compact and not elastic. The cut surface is compact and uniform, without visible sinews, and uniformly dark red with evenly distributed grains of fat. The smell is aromatic and characteristic, the flavour mild, delicate and never sour.

They are sold unpacked or packed airtight or in a protective atmosphere, whole, in portions or in slices. Packing takes place only in the area of origin. Directly after the name, the label bears “Denominazione di origine protetta”; other statements not provided for are prohibited.

Production

The meat comes from heavy pigs that are at least nine months old at slaughter and whose carcasses weigh 110.1 to 180 kg. The animals are descendants of the Large White Italiana, Landrace Italiana and Duroc Italiana breeds or of crosses bred with these breeds for the production of heavy pigs. Boars and sows themselves are excluded, as are animals carrying the stress-susceptibility gene. Feeding is liquid or dry; in the first fattening phase cereals must make up at least 45 % of the dry matter, in the fattening phase at least 55 %. At least half of the dry matter the pigs eat in a year comes from the rearing area.

The sausage consists of lean muscle meat, firm pork fat, salt, crushed or ground pepper and garlic. Mechanically separated meat is prohibited. Wine, sugar, dextrose or fructose, starter cultures, ascorbic acid and limited amounts of nitrate and nitrite are permitted. The meat is prepared, minced, mixed, filled into casings, dried and matured.

Origin & history

The area comprises eleven regions of northern and central Italy. According to the specification, production developed alongside cereal growing and milk processing where pigs were traditionally raised. In the last century, pig farming in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy became a modern industry that spread from there to the neighbouring regions; in the process, native breeds gave way to specialised breeds.

According to oral tradition, the making of salamini goes back to the time when the Lombards conquered northern Italy; from there it spread to central Italy. According to the specification, historical references can be found in the culinary traditions of Lombardy. The name recalls the provisions that hunters traditionally took with them in their shoulder bags when they went hunting.