Salami is a sausage of Italian origin. The name comes from the Italian salare meaning to salt.
Originally made from a mixture of chopped pork and salt which was air-dried in a casing, salamis now come in many varieties made in several countries. Nearly all are seasoned with a combination of herbs and spices in addition to salt. Salami prepared from raw meat is safe to eat because it has been cured. Other types of salami are smoked or cooked before air-drying; "cotto salami" refers to salami which is cooked. Some varieties are made of beef, while others mix beef and pork. Most if not all Italian salamis contain garlic, while few German varieties do. Some, like a few salamis from Spain and most Hungarian types, include paprika or chili. Several varieties are differentiated by the coarseness or fineness of the chopped meat. The traditional Salami is covered with a thin layer of edible mold.
|
