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Not everything is sausage, from which you can make a sandwich. Some copies are drawn to real masterpieces and require a special gastronomic accompaniment. Fine Italian sausages and meat delicacies are the best proof of this.
Noble blood salami
One of the most popular sausages in Italy is salami. The original cured sausage with spices, according to most sources, was invented by Milanese and Bolognese chefs. However, this fact is always ready to challenge the Greeks, who discovered a similar recipe during the excavations of the ancient city of Salamis. Anyway, today salami is produced in many countries of the world, and Italy is considered one of the recognized leaders. Authentic Italian salami contains only a few ingredients: pork, lard, salt and spices. Sometimes beef, pork, turkey, or even venison are added to it. It is easy to recognize a high-quality sausage by the dense minced meat and large pieces of bacon, ideally white. Another sign of the premium variety is a noble white mold. Italians add salami to their favorite pizza, a variety of antipasto and salads. But most harmoniously, according to subtle connoisseurs, it is combined with fresh ciabatta and parmesan.
Finocchiona – sausage with lukavinka
Those whose soul yearns for salty food will surely like finocchiona. This is an extremely salty and greasy sausage, which is prepared from minced pork. Its mandatory components are pepper peas, chianti wine with garlic, salt in the proportion of 35 g per 1 kg of meat, as well as fennel seeds (finocchio in Italian), which gave the name to the sausage variety. Rumor has it that the recipe was invented by clever Tuscan shopkeepers. Trying to hide the poor quality of cheap wine, they added fennel, which has a bright taste and a characteristic aniseed aroma. To deflect suspicion, the wine was served with slices of finocchiona, carefully sprinkled with fennel. That’s how a little lie gave birth to a big sausage masterpiece. Today, finocchiona is most often prepared in two ways. Minced meat with large pieces of pork is dried for a short period of time, which makes the sausage soft and moist. In the second case, it is dried for a long time and persistently in several stages. The result is a sausage with a dense, dry consistency. Serve the finest sausage slices with freshly baked homemade bread and a glass of cool red wine.
Mortadella, that Roman spirit smells
One of the many gastronomic attractions of Bologna is Mortadella. It is believed that a similar recipe was known to the ancient Romans, who prepared sausage with myrtle berries in a special mortar of mortario. Perhaps this is where the name of the modern variety of sausage came from. For minced meat, only pork meat is taken with the addition of fat from the throat part. To it add black and white pepper, anise, coriander and pistachios with wine. The resulting mass is tightly filled with pork or beef shell and kept in a cool place. The consistency of the mortadella is quite dense with evenly distributed pieces of white fat. This sausage has a rich aroma and rich taste, which, it is not a pity, spoils in the very near future. Therefore, it is recommended to buy it in small quantities and eat it as quickly as possible. Mortadella is perfectly combined with pasta, omelette, cheese, nuts and sour berries. A worthy addition to this sausage will be a glass of red fruit wine.
Salsiccia and sopressata-rustic delights
Lovers of homemade sausages can hardly resist the delicious varieties of salsiccia and sopressata. To observe the painstaking process of their preparation, you need to go to some provincial Italian village. Especially for this purpose, the freshest and highest quality pork is selected. Salsiccia is prepared from the dorsal or femoral part, sopressata – from the first-class fillet. And add a mixture of spicy spices to the minced meat: allspice and bitter pepper, dried paprika and fennel seeds. In some regions, coriander is added and a little fortified wine is added. Traditionally, such sausages can be found in Italian pizza, Mediterranean salads and thick, flavorful chowders. They go well with sun-dried tomatoes and hard cheeses such as gran padano or Parmesan. A good combination will turn out if you add salsiccia or sopressata to fresh foccacha with spicy herbs.
Born to be Prosciutto
Prosciutto is a delicacy that makes the heart of any meat gourmet freeze sweetly. This delicious ham is produced in many regions of Italy, but the recognized standard can only be tasted in Parma. Hence the second name-Parma ham. For its preparation, pigs of three different breeds are carefully selected, grown certainly in the northern provinces, preferably in the Emilia-Romagna region. Hams are specially salted and dried for a long period-from 14 months to two years. All this time, they are under the close attention of tasters, who carefully examine the hams and intently inhale the aroma. In case of the slightest suspicion, the raw materials will be immediately rejected. The variety of prosciutto, ripened with the help of only salt, sun and wind, is called crudo. And if you boil a pork ham before starting to dry, you will get prosciutto cotto, or ham itself. Parma ham is usually served as a stand-alone snack. In pizza or soups, it is added last, trying not to overdo it with heat treatment. Original combinations are obtained from prosciutto and fruit, especially melon.
Sausages and meat delicacies are another amazing facet of delicious Italy. Having discovered it for yourself once, it will be impossible to refuse such pleasure.