Italy is known worldwide for excellence across a variety of fields; from art and architecture to wine and cuisine, to name a few! But one thing Italy also specialises in its deli cuts, cured meats and charcuterie. From salami to pepperoni, the Italians sure love their Italian cured meats and enjoy them whenever possible!
So, in honour of National Salami Day on 7 September, Expat Explore is taking a deep dive into Italian deli delights! If you’d like to learn more about deli meats from Italy, read on for a veritable charcuterie board of Italian meats.
Related: Interested in more naturally preserved foods? Check out the world’s top pickled foods!
Top Salami, Charcuterie and Italian Cured Meats:
Salami
Up first is the reason you’re reading this – Salami! While Salami is a form of Italian Salume (cured meats including prosciutto, coppa and pancetta) with many of its own varieties, the most popular one in Italy and most likely the one referred to when simply saying “salami”, is the Genoa variety which originated in the northwest.
The traditional Italian recipe for Genoa salami is based primarily on pork, while beef or veal is sometimes added. But the key is in the seasonings – a mouthwatering combination of garlic, salt, white and black peppercorns, as well as wine.
Related: Italy is home to one of the world’s best winemaking regions!
Finocchiona
Up next is a variety of Salami that hails from the Tuscany region, mainly Florence. Finocchiona is known for its use of fennel, which beautifully complements the wild, meaty flavour of the salami.
Related: Join our Italy in Low Season tour and spend a full free day in Florence!
Soppressata
Still in the Salami family, Soppressata is a dry-cured pork salami that’s known for its mix of lean and fatty pork cuts, minced and seasoned with salt, crushed black peppercorns, dried chillies and red wine.
Salsiccia
Salsiccia is one of the simpler Italian deli meats we’ve covered so far, as it’s merely a pork sausage seasoned with garlic and fennel seeds. This type of Italian sausage is usually available in a sweet version (the aforementioned one) as well as a hot version where spicy red peppers are also added to the seasoning.
Guanciale
Guanciale is an authentic Italian specialty cured meat from the Umbria and Lazio regions, known for its distinct tenderness and unique flavour. The traditional recipe calls for first choice pork jowl which is then salted, flavoured and slow-cured for approximately 3 months before it’s ready to enjoy! Guanciale is also one of the most important ingredients in an authentic pasta carbonara.
Related: Spend time in the Umbria region on our Taste of Italy tour!
Prosciutto
Prosciutto crudo is an Italian delight that dates back thousands of years to when villagers began dry-ageing their pork to extend its shelf life and increase their winter food supply. The process of making Prosciutto has become somewhat of a tradition and has been perfected over many generations. Today, the delicious product of this art is enjoyed across Italy and the rest of the world. The ingredients are simple – fresh pork and sea salt. The rest is up to air and time.
Lardo
Lardo is a unique Italian delicacy made from pork back fat that is cured in salt, herbs, and spices. The result is a surprisingly luxurious texture that almost evaporates in your mouth. Serve and enjoy it on a slice of toasted bread with tomatoes or wrap it around some succulent scampi (prawns).
Related: Learn some more useful Italian travel phrases!
Bresaola
Unlike the other Salume we’ve uncovered so far, Bresaola is an air-dried charcuterie usually made from several different cuts of grass-fed beef. The cuts are trimmed of all fat before rubbing them with salt and spices and curing them for several days. Usually, the spices consist of a mix of black pepper, juniper berries, cinnamon, cloves, and garlic. Then, the months-long air-drying process begins. But it’s so worth the wait!
Capocollo
Capocollo is a traditional Italian pork cold cut (salume) made from dry-curing a very specific cut of meat – the muscle running from the neck to the fourth or fifth rib of the pork shoulder or neck. This Italian deli meat is known for its subtle flavour and marbled texture that melts in your mouth! Serve it sliced thin in sandwiches or on pizza.
Related: Take a look at how different countries make pizza!
Pancetta
Up next is Pancetta, which is somewhat of a deli meat and also essentially an Italian recipe for cured pork belly. You’d be forgiven for mistaking it for bacon, except Pancetta is not smoked and the curing and drying process is much longer. This is a must-try Italian speciality which can be enjoyed either uncooked or cooked and is sold sliced or cubed.
Pepperoni (honourable mention)
Pepperoni (the one with two p’s) is made from a pork and beef mix usually seasoned with salt, paprika, chilli flakes or cayenne pepper, fennel seed and garlic. This magical seasoning combo is what gives pepperoni its famous peppery, savoury taste. But it’s the fermentation process that gives it a distinctly tangy flavour.
However, Pepperoni is NOT Italian! When Italians hear the word, they might likely picture a bell pepper (peperoni with one ‘p’). We couldn’t help but include it on the list since many associate it with Italian deli meats and it was invented in New York by Italian immigrants (so it sort of counts, right?).
Related: Many countries have culinary conflicts about where foods originated!
Now that you’ve tasted your way through our virtual Italian charcuterie board, the only remaining thing is for you to try these Italian cured meats in their home country! Did we leave out any of your favourites? Let us know in the comments.
Expat Explore offers a variety of ways to see Italy! From multi-country European tours to in-depth Italy tours and even Italian rail tours, we’ve got you covered. Book your Italian adventure today!