A Northern Italian Delicacy, Salama da Sugo

The Salama da Sugo of Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy
The fields of Ferrara lie nestled between the river Rhine and Po, and are littered with canals, orchards and corn fields. Here is the birthplace of “cappellacci cona la zucca”, a pumpkin-stuffed pasta; ferrarese bread, and a unique type of sausage. It is this preserved sausage, known as “Salama da Sugo” or “Salame da Sugo” which is a piece of Ferrara history. While relatively unknown outside of Italy, it is very famous in the area and as such always finds its way to the dinner table, either homemade or from a butcher. So much a part of the region, there is even a festival held celebrating salumi, as well as the organisation known as “Pro Loco Madonna Boschi della Salamina” created by the communes of Vagarano Mainarda and Poggio Renatico, which seeks to promote the territory through the promotion of salumi.

All About Salama da Sugo
Salama da Sugo is a sausage with a very rich taste that is boiled for a long time before consumption. There are variations in preparation, but it commonly features various parts of the pig such as shoulder, cheek, stomach, liver and tongue, as well as salt, pepper, garlic, cinnamon, cloves and red wine. This mix is stuffed into pig’s bladder, and then sealed and bound with rope which gives it a signature inverted bell shape. It is left to mature and ferment for six months to a year, where it loses bulk until it weighs around a kilogram and the various flavours intermingle. After fermentation the sausage is cleaned and steeped in cold water for rehydration. In order to keep the meat and spice mix intact the salama is then wrapped in cloth. It is then fastened to a wooden spoon placed above the pot so that they do not come into direct contact and boiled for 4 to 6 hours. The rich fragrance and flavours pair beautifully with mashed potato, and also are a fine accompaniment to a medium-bodied wine such as Lambrusco.

Tradition and Modernity
The Supercarno Golinelli Company are an example of how adhering to tradition and traditional methods can be merged with the spirit of entrepreneurship and modernity. It is a growing family business that uses no artificial preservatives or additives to produce top-quality sausage and salumi. Almost all animals used are bred in-business, giving them full quality-control right up until the finished product. Salama is one of their prized products, produced to traditional methods it is even sold in a pre-cooked form vacuum-packed and ready for consumption in just thirty minutes.