The Varieties of Salumen

I, like many others, love eating meat and love eating the many varieties of it. That’s why I was initially disappointed about what seemed to be a lack of variety in Italian meats. Prosciutto or salami, though tasty, seemed to be my only options. 

Today I went to a Subway-style paninoteca where I learned that salamis, at least, are far from lacking in variety. The word salami derives from the Latin word “salumen”, meaning “a mix of salted meats”. Salamis are generally made from a combination of different ground porks, spices, wine, and garlic, so you can imagine the many varieties of salami that could arise out of differing the ratios and types of ingredients. The Genoa salami, for example, contains veal as well as pork, garlic, red wine, and pepper. Finocchina, another variety, is special for containing fennel seeds while Napoletano and Soppresata contain strictly lean, low-fat pork meat. 

Salami can not only differ based on content, but also on the length and quality of the curing process. The curing process is where the encased salami meat is placed in warm and humid conditions to foster bacterial growth on the outside of the salami. The bacteria’s role in the curing process is to undergo lactic acid fermentation. In this process, the lactate dehydrogenase enzymes of lacto basillus convert pyruvic acid into lactic acid while deprotonating NADH:

 

More sugar can be added to the salami to increase the desired amount of fermentation. The resulting lactic acid lowers the pH of the salami which helps dry it and give it its flavor. In addition, the acid prevents other, potentially harmful bacteria from surviving, making the salami relatively safe to eat despite being a food consumed raw. Many salamis are distinguished based on the curing process. Soppressata is salami that is pressed with weights during curing to make it lose 30% of its weight. Napoletano is left for at least six months before being sold. 

I can now see why salami is a generic term for any type of encased, mixed meat. There are so many different ways to make so many different types of salami! It’s no wonder that paninoteca I went to this afternoon had rows and rows of salami of different sizes, hues, names, and flavors. Learning by eating – what an excellent way to learn.

Works Consulted:

·         http://www.micro.siu.edu/micr201/images/Lactate.gif

·         http://www.lifeinitaly.com/food/salami-salame.asp

·         http://www.salamiday.com/manufacturing

·         http://www.yumsugar.com/Different-Types-Salami-16314712