Italian sausages are part of the gastronomic culture of Italy and are part of a culture that has its roots in the rural tradition focused on the breeding of animals, especially pigs.
The poverty that has afflicted many Italian families for long decades has created the aptitude to exploit every part of the animal, from milk to meat, giving rise to a wide variety of products that, To date, they have gone beyond national borders and established themselves as gastronomic specialties in Italy and throughout the world.
Short history of the birth of Italian sausages
The tradition of Italian sausages was born in the face of a specific need: to preserve the meat longer over time.
In the past, it was unthinkable for a family to consume the meat of an entire animal, such as a pig, in time before it perished and, considering that at the time there were no freezers or refrigerators, an alternative solution was needed.
So, we started to think and then develop alternative methods of preservation of meat that have been handed down between the generations and so the Italian sausages were born.
Over time, each region of Italy has adopted this process made of key steps such as salting, drying and seasoning but also the aromatization of meat, making use of resources more easily found in their area.
From this tradition were born many Italian sausages and list them all would be impossible, for this we will focus only on some of them.
venditaprodottitipici
Italian sausages, some excellences: Prosciutto di Parma PDO and San Daniele
Prosciutto di Parma PDO and San Daniele are among the most valuable Italian products and also known abroad: the first is subjected to a twelve-month long seasoning and the rule allows you to add only salt to facilitate storage and to add taste.
However, salt should not be predominant but added in a measured way: in fact, Prosciutto di Parma PDO has a low salt content and leaves room for all the flavor of the meat.
prosciuttosandaniele
San Daniele is a rosy and tender raw ham, with a delicate taste and aromatic notes.
It is produced from the pork thighs weighing more than twelve kilograms and subjected to a processing never less than thirteen months. Again, you can not add any aroma, spice or preservative.
The typical Italian sausages
Sausages may or may not be stuffed: in the case of sausages, they must be contained in a resistant and malleable casing which may be of animal or synthetic origin.
Among all the animals, the pig is the most suitable for the production of sausages: let’s see some of them below.
Bologna
Mortadella is a cooked sausage, made with pork and lard, flavored with salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, musk, pepper and Malvasia wine.
A fragrant product and delicate taste, enriched by pistachios as the tradition of Emilia.
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The speck
Smoked, speck has a strong taste. It is obtained from the leg of the pig, like the raw ham: the difference, in this case, lies in the processing process because, to make the bacon, the leg of the animal is first opened and then processed.
The best known and most valuable, without a doubt, is the South Tyrolean IGP speck.
italybite
The cup
Also known as “coppata”, it is obtained from the upper neck of the pig and the shoulder.
Depending on the region, it has different denominations: for example, in Campania it is known as “capocollo”, in Siena it is called “finocchiata” and, in Lazio, it is commonly called “lonza”.
salumi-italiani
The bacon
Tasty and with a taste of character, the bacon is proposed in different variants: smoked, salami, coppata and rolled.
Also obtained from the pig, it is made with a part of the belly of the animal.
cibomio
La bresaola
A lean sausage, low in fat but rich in taste! Unlike those seen so far, bresaola is not based on pork but is obtained from the thigh of cattle in which there are five cuts usable.
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Culatello
The culatello is obtained from the most valuable part of the leg of pigs raised in the wild. The most famous is the culatello di Zibello DOP (Emilia-Romagna).
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Salami
Salami has many variations and is made from different types of meat to which is added pork fat, spices and various aromas.
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What are Italians’ favorite sausages?
Italian sausages are many but people have clear ideas about their preferences. According to recent surveys carried out by the new Berkel Food Observatory, 84.7% of Italians, when it comes to sausages and salami, the priority is that they are fresh and cut at the moment.
As for the sausages preferred by the Italians, in first place and with a clear majority we find the raw ham that wins 29.5% of the votes, followed by cooked ham and salami that are, between them, almost in parity with the respective percentages of 16.8% and 16.3%.
In fourth place is the mortadella with 11.5% of preferences, followed by bresaola with 10% and speck with 5.6%.
The Italian situation is not far from the preferences of our friends beyond the national borders: abroad, in fact, first in the ranking among the most exported Italian sausages we find raw ham, followed by mortadella, salami, ham and bacon.
Impossible to blame them: could you ever imagine your tables laid without your favorite sausages and salami? Remember to respect the balance of the Mediterranean diet on your table to stay healthy.
Copertina: gqitalia