Salama da sugo is an unmissable food in Ferrara and surroundings for over five hundred years. A brief journey to discover the famous cured sausage, between history and territory.
Ferrara, stories of banquets and salami
Ferrara has been a crossroads international, from the 1400s to the 1600s, thanks to the university and the ‘marriage policies’ of the Este court. Where the successive Aragonese, French, and Austrian duchesses brought new stimuli and contributions. The science of nutrition, among other things, developed precisely in this multifaceted context. (1)
From profane court banquets to the sacredness of peasant origin, it is to an 18th-century parish priest that we owe the first practical guide to preparation, preservation and ‘tasting’ of the ‘succulent salami’, today known as ‘salama da sugo’. (2) Well-pounded fatty meat, very finely pounded rind and liver, red wine, salt, pepper and cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves (the historical preservatives of meats, from the discovery of the Indies to the advent of modern chemistry).
The Consortium of producers current of salama da sugo, unfortunately, has denied its tradition. Opting for an PGI registration, in 2014, rather than a PDO that would have allowed to enhance local meats. Besides limiting the minimum aging period to only 6 months.
Salama da sugo, preparation and ‘tasting’
The salama da sugo is prepared using various parts of the pig (e.g. pork cheek, lean meat leftover from trimming used to prepare hams and shoulders, neck coppa and a small amount of tongue and liver). The meats, salted and spiced, are ground and mixed with red wine, then stuffed into the pig’s bladder, in a characteristic round shape.
The binding (with eight or sixteen segments, depending on the craftsman’s inspiration) precedes the drying and aging phase. At least one year, according to tradition, in the 'chamber of the salamis'. Even today, in the Ferrara countryside, some farmers produce the 'salamine' following recipes passed down from generation to generation. Time and patience, to age and to cook.
The characteristic 'tasting' involves 7-8 hours of slow boiling. The salama is then served steaming, alongside mashed potatoes or pumpkin, or even apple, to evoke the sweet and sour flavor so loved in the Renaissance. In modern times, the 'Salama da tai' (cut), served fresh in summer in thin slices that are paired with melon or figs.
Dario Dongo and Susanna Tartari
Notes
(1) The local literature on nutrition starts from Battista Massa da Argenta, 'De fructibus virtues' ('The edible fruits', 1471)
(2) Don Domenico Chendi, parish priest of Tresigallo (FE), 'The Ferraran farmer' (1761)
(3) After brushing with soft bristles and rinsing in lukewarm water to remove surface encrustations, the salama is placed in a tightly closed bag. The bag is attached to a wooden spoon to rest across the edges of a large pot filled with cold water, ensuring that the salume remains always submerged without ever touching the bottom or the sides of the container. And then simmered over low heat for hours and hours.
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT – Food Times) and Égalité.
History and culture, food and sociability. Creator of the Renaissance Carnival of Ferrara and its palace balls, she has directed the artistic direction of several events, including most recently the Living Nativity of Matera.
