Italian sausages: varieties, names, reviews

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Not many countries can boast such a variety of delicacies and a developed meat industry as Italy. How is sausage from this corner of our planet so different from others? Perhaps the preparation, the spices used, or the breeding process of the animals. You will learn about this in our article.

World leader

It's hard to imagine, but even during the existence of the Roman Empire, this region was considered a recognized leader in the variety of technologies aimed at preserving meat. At the same time, pork was and remains the most used. In addition to it, beef, venison or even wild boar are often used.

Italians themselves can easily tell in which region of the country they cooked this or that sausage, focusing not only on the name, but also on the appearance or aroma. This situation has developed due to the fact that the inhabitants of southern Italy prefer spicier and spicier ingredients, unlike their compatriots from the north.

Italian sausage often appears on the tables in the form of antipasto, that is, an appetizer before the main course, or as one of the ingredients of a hot dish.

Favorite of millions

The mostpopular sausage with a marble pattern on the cut and the smallest pieces of lard is, of course, called salami. It is Italy that is the birthplace of this world-famous smoked meat. Perhaps it is she who is the most recognizable Italian sausage in the world.

Today, salami is produced in almost every corner of the planet. But only in Italy you can try the most traditional recipes for its preparation. And it is worth noting that there are several dozen of them in different regions of the country. Different recipes differ both in the color of the finished product, which varies from bright red to maroon, and in aroma.

The most savory varieties of salami are complemented with cayenne or red peppers. More restrained contain black pepper or simply various aromatic herbs.

No worse than sausage

You can not ignore such an Italian meat product as prosciutto ham. Its closest relative among delicacies can be called jamon. Prosciutto is made from a whole pork leg that has been s alted for a long period of time.

Many foreigners do not understand what is the difference between this type of meat and jamon. The Italians themselves do not understand how they can be confused. Prosciutto has a softer texture and less pronounced s alt flavor. That is why this delicacy can be safely called ham.

You can separately highlight such a variety as prosciutto cotto. This meat is boiled before s alting, which gives it a more delicate texture.

Bresaola

If you are a fan of bresaola, you have long known what it is. But there are those who hear this foreign word for the first time. If you don’t like pork, but you really like dried meat, like delicious Italian sausage, then you should pay attention to bresaola.

Made from the anterior or posterior muscles on the limbs of cows, this pulp is much less nutritious than any part of the pork carcass. The cooking process consists in a long s alting of meat with various spices inside deep vats. At the same time, the taste and color of the final product directly depend on what spices this or that manufacturer used.

Like many other Italian products, bresaola has a different recipe in many parts of Italy. So, somewhere they prefer to cook it from horse meat or venison.

Straight from Bologna

The birthplace of the next Italian sausage is the town of Bologna. It is mortadella that is the hallmark of this settlement. It looks like the familiar boiled sausages interspersed with lard. Sometimes offal or cracklings are added to mortadella.

But the meat industry that produces this variety of delicacy has its own prerequisites. For example, if you want to produce a product according to a real classic recipe, then you must definitely add myrtle berries, as well as wine and pistachios, to minced pork. Only then will mortadella sausage meet all the requirements of Italian culinary history.

From the outback

There is an Italian sausage that is very similar to homemade sausages from Russia. It's called salsiccha. They are also packed in a natural casing, and then fried whole over an open fire or in a frying pan. But temperamental Italians often add white wine, coriander, cumin or wild fennel seeds to these sausages.

Such spices are less common in Russia or Ukraine. Especially if we talk about villages located far from large cities. But in Italy, fragrant herbs that are exotic for us grow literally on every corner due to the warm climate. Therefore, the difference in the production of meat delicacies is striking.

Many Italians have never heard of the famous German sausages, because they have a spicy salsiccia that is just as good as any analogues.

What about the fat?

Not only Italian smoked sausages deserve close attention. There is also a worthy rival for spicy Ukrainian fat in Italy. Somewhere this product is called bacon, but in this southern country it has changed its name to pancetta.

If you have ever cooked a real Italian carbonara, you probably know that pancetta is recommended in the recipe. And only in case of its absence, take bacon. This is because a real bouquet of aromatic herbs, such as oregano, thyme, cumin and others, is used to make it. They rub part of the pork belly, then roll it into a roll and marinate for several months.

The result is far from dietarya product with wide layers of lard, which is great for preparing a variety of hot dishes.

Unusual preferences

Another perfectly typical Italian sausage looks quite extraordinary. This is because when making zampone with minced pork with bacon and spices, the forelimb of the piglet is densely stuffed. According to reviews, this is one of the most original Italian products.

The stuffed leg is often sold raw, and once purchased it must be soaked in water overnight and then boiled for several hours. But in today's world, where people prefer not to spend so much time preparing meals at home, you can find ready-made zampone. It will only need to be heated in the oven or microwave.

Italians are especially fond of eating zampone in the winter season, using white beans, lentils or regular mashed potatoes as a side dish.

Recipes

Practically any Italian sausage - dry-cured, boiled or raw-smoked - can be used to prepare various dishes. It can be salads, appetizers and main courses. We will share with you several recipes for such dishes.

The first will be a salad, where salami is the main ingredient. In addition to it, we need:

• fresh tomato - 1 pc.;
• fresh cucumber - 1 piece;
• canned corn - 4-5 tbsp. l.;
• green onions - 1 bunch;
• half green apple;
• saladIceberg - 70-80 g;
• salami sausage - 70 g;
• mayonnaise for dressing;
• spice to taste.

First, you need to finely chop the green onions and iceberg lettuce, put them on a plate in the first layer. Then peeled tomatoes and an apple are cut into small cubes. We put them on a salad and cover with a thin mesh of mayonnaise. Each tier can be sprinkled with s alt and pepper, but keep in mind that salami itself is quite s alty. The topmost layer will be cucumbers and sausage cut into thin strips, which are also covered with a small amount of dressing. And finally, corn is laid out on top and some more green onions.

It is best to serve this salad in portions, garnished with parsley or a basil leaf.

Main course

The following recipe can perfectly complement your dinner after a salad. The classic pasta carbonara has long been a favorite dish in establishments around the world. But here is the recipe for its correct preparation, invented in Italy, not known to everyone.

If you managed to get a piece of real Italian pancetta, then you can safely start cooking. In addition to it, you need to prepare the following products:

• durum wheat spaghetti - 200g;
• pancetta - 100 g;
• chicken eggs - 2 pcs;
• Parmesan cheese - 40g;
• olive oil - 40 g;
• s alt and pepper to taste.

First, you need to make sure that you have chosen the durum wheat pasta, and set it aside inside, because first you need to prepare the sauce. By the way, there is no cream in the original carbonara recipe, and if you saw it on the restaurant menu, then you will get any other pasta, but definitely not carbonara.

So, for starters, white onion, cut into small cubes, fried in olive oil until golden brown. After that, in another pan, we fry the pancetta with s alt and pepper, and send the finished onion there.

After the meat component is ready, we put the pasta itself to cook, and at this time we prepare the sabayon sauce. To do this, heat one whole egg, yolk and finely grated parmesan in a water bath. The sauce is ready when a fairly thick foam appears.

We spread the pasta to the fried ham with onions and mix them thoroughly. Then put the pasta on a plate and pour over the sabayon sauce. Garnish the plate with a little grated parmesan or fresh basil leaves. Although the duet of these two ingredients will look just fine.

Do not forget that almost all Italian sausages and other meat delicacies are full of exotic spices and herbs that are not always familiar to a person who came from a more northern country. Therefore, if you know that you have one or another type of food allergy, you should be more careful about the consumption of deli meats when visiting Italy, and not buy prosciutto cotto in the first store, even if the temptation is very, very strong.