Salami snack
An indispensable part of hiking sandwiches, one of the most popular pizza toppings, and so much loved by many that they don’t slice it thinly but take big bites: salami is a category of its own, not a big brother to sausages, and although many people think it is, it is not a cold cut.
Salami is popular all over the world, and there are many different types, with different ways of making it in different countries, different spices (e.g. paprika, garlic, pepper, even cloves and cinnamon) and proportions, and some smoked before drying and some not.
There is also a very colourful palette of meats. The most common is salami made from pork, but you can also find salami made from beef, grey cattle, veal, venison, wild boar and even goose in local shops and markets. In addition to its taste, its popularity is also due to the fact that it does not spoil if it sits in a lunch box or a hiking bag for a day, it does not soak the sandwich, so it is safe to pack it even if you cannot refrigerate it. However, it is not recommended to keep it warm for longer than that. Its durability is also due to its production technology.
Good to know! In Hungary, the Food Codex requires that salamis made from other meat than pork must indicate the type of meat.
What exactly is salami?
The Hungarian Food Guide gives a precise definition of this, so if you see the name salami on a product, you can be sure of its quality.
- of different diameters (at least 40 mm), filled in natural or artificial casing
- a rod-shaped product of uniform thickness, which may be tapered at the end corresponding to the suspension and rounded at the other end
- coating: noble mould, other material (dipped in a dipping mass, powdered) or uncoated; the coating adheres well to the filling
- ingredients may include: meat of pigs, beef, game, poultry or other slaughter animals, raw material for bacon production, beef fat, character and flavouring substances
- maturing method (they are also subdivided into subgroups according to this): dry maturing or accelerated dry maturing
- consisting of evenly mixed mosaics of meat, bacon or fat of at least 3 mm in size, of various sizes, sometimes with coarsely ground spices, compact, elastic, well cohesive, easy to slice and suitable for cutting
The Hungarian Food Guide divides the food category of salami into two subgroups according to the maturing process: salami with dry maturing and salami with maturing control, and in both groups you can find salami with or without mould. These may differ slightly in organoleptic characteristics and more typically in chemical characteristics. Conventional dry curing may have less water content (up to 29%) than cured-controlled curing (up to 34%). There may also be differences in protein and fat content. While salamis with or without moulds produced by dry curing have a minimum protein content of 20% and a maximum fat content of 47%, those with curing control have a minimum protein content of 18% and a maximum fat content of 45%.
Dispelling the misconception: salami is not a cold cut, but it's not the big brother of sausage either
Many people mistakenly think that salami is a cold cut, because it is eaten sliced, and there are even some who think that a salami with paprika is a sausage with a larger diameter. The Hungarian Food Guide defines the product groups as cold cuts, hams, cured sausages, salami, so don’t be fooled by the slicing; salami and cold cuts are two different categories of meat products with completely different quality characteristics. And although cured sausages have very similar organoleptic characteristics to salami (it is no coincidence that you can mix a slice of sausage and a slice of salami for taste), they represent a different category of product.
How can a product be made from more meat than it weighs?
The conscious consumer looks at the meat content of a meat product. In the case of salami, the decisive factor is not the %, in which case there is no such percentage, but the amount of meat per 100 grams of finished product, which can be up to 1.5 times the value. This is because salami continuously loses water during the maturing process (for example, the water content of raw pork is around 60-73%). Moreover, salami is a constantly changing product, constantly losing water: more water when fresh, less water over time.
Here's how it's made: in Kaposvár, KOMETA makes only traditionally matured, mouldy salami, the highest quality because it only makes salami from heavier, older pigs, because the meat of these pigs has a lower water content than younger ones.
Was it first made in what is now Italy, Greece or Germany? One thing is certain: Hungarian salami has written its name in salami history
There are several theories about where salami comes from. The most common is that salami comes from the Latin word sal, meaning salt. The original purpose was to preserve meat with salt, and it is thought that Italy is the birthplace of salami. Others believe that the delicacy is linked to the ancient Greeks and takes its name from the city of Salamis, which was destroyed in the 4th century BC. A few years ago, a German meat company published a statement based on research that salami was invented in a state in north-eastern Germany (Mecklenburg). To preserve it, the Lombards stuffed raw meat into casings, which were preserved with rock salt, giving the greyish-brown mass a pink colour. In the course of the Migration Period, the Germanic peoples, moving through Hungary, conquered northern Italy and took the method of preservation with them. What is certain is that in 1869, salami production began in Hungary with the help of Italian and Serbian salami masters, among others, and within a short time Hungarian salami became world famous. KOMETA has been making salami for more than 20 years and exports it to many countries.
Italy: as many regions as there are salamis
Although salami has a long tradition not only in Italy, but in many countries, Italy is still considered the birthplace of this famous meat product, so let’s take a trip to this land. There are many types of salami associated with Italy, and it is no coincidence that salami, perhaps accompanied by cheese and olives, is a popular starter in Italian families and restaurants.
In the beginning, salamis (which are often more like sausages, and only salami in name) were named after their region of origin, their country. This is still the case in many places.
According to KOMETA’s Italian meat specialist, the most popular salamis in his country are those from Milan and Naples. Milanese salami is flavoured with white wine, pepper and a pinch of garlic, while black pepper is the most dominant spice in Neapolitan salami. The Tuscan finocchiona salami is characterised by its name, finocchio, and the Felino salami is characterised by a unique flavouring similar to the others, but with less salt than the others. Genoa salami comes from Genoa in northern Italy, hence its name and its authentic Italian flavour. It is usually made from pork and has a particularly strong flavour, thanks to the high content of spices (garlic, salt, pepper, fennel, etc.), which can be added to white or red wine. The truffle version is a real gourmet dish, and is a typical Tuscan dish in Italy.
+1 French speciality: in France, salami is flavoured with walnuts in several places.
Winter salami, which definitely deserves a special chapter
One of Hungary’s most distinctive dishes is the “téliszalámi”, and the Hungarian Foodstuffs Codex devotes a special section to it: it stipulates, among other things, that it can only be called “téliszalámi” if it is at least 55 mm in diameter, contains only pork, bacon ingredients and spices, is smoked and is a meat product in the form of a stick that has been cured for at least 80 days. It is distinguished by its greyish-white noble mould surface and, although one might think that it is named after its white colour, the name is actually linked to the cold weather, as it was initially only produced in winter. It is also interesting to note that in the past, the big salami factories were located on the banks of rivers, because in addition to the temperature, the humidity also plays an important role in the process of making salami, but nowadays, thanks to modern technology, it is no longer necessary to be located on the water’s edge, and winter salami can even be made in the summer.
Did you know?
Winter salami was a very popular dish among German submariners in World War II because of its shelf life without refrigeration and its high nutritional value.
Storage tips
A distinction should be made between products in bars and sliced products. It is advisable to store salamis in a cool place, hanging up, before and after starting. It is advisable to cover the part that has been started, as the part of the salami in contact with oxygen will discolour, dry more intensively and the flavour will change and become rancid, but it is still safe to eat it until the end of its shelf life if a new cut is made. Store vacuum-packed and vacuum-sealed products and those bought from the deli counter on the bottom shelf of the fridge and they will keep for several weeks if sealed tightly.
Salami will not spoil if kept at room temperature, but this is not generally the ideal way to store it. The consistency of the fat inside will change and so will the flavour, but it is still safe to eat until the indicated time.
Good to know!
Over time, unstarted salami will also harden, as it loses its natural water content and the flavour becomes more concentrated.
Eat in moderation!
Salami is a calorie-dense food, so the advice to consider is even more valid: aim for quality rather than quantity. It shouldn’t be cut out when you’re on a diet, either, as its distinctive flavour means you can eat less. And the strict regulations mean you can be sure of the meat and protein content.
