Salami

Name: Salami — a cured, fermented and air-dried sausage, made of ground pork, beef or other meat, mixed with fat, salt, and spices, stuffed into a casing, and aged for weeks or months. Types include Genoa, Milano, Hungarian and soppressata.

Description

Salami dates back to antiquity, and the name comes from the Italian salare, to salt. It was invented as a way to preserve meat without refrigeration. The meat is minced with fat, salt and spices, stuffed in a casing, fermented with lactic acid bacteria, which gives the sausage its tangy flavour, and then dried for 2 weeks to several months.

Salami is eaten sliced thin, on antipasto platters, in sandwiches, on pizzas and in pasta. Each region of Europe has its own variants, such as Italian Genoa, Hungarian winter salami, French saucisson sec and Spanish salchichón.

Main nutrition value

Processed meats provide protein, but they are typically high in salt and saturated fat, and cured products contain added nitrites. Salami is high in fat and salt, and sliced thin it is eaten in small amounts.

How best to be consumed

Salami is eaten in small amounts, sliced thin.

1. Serve a few slices on a platter with cheese, olives, pickles and bread.
2. Use as a flavouring, in sandwiches, salads and pasta, rather than as the main protein.
3. Check the label for salt and choose leaner versions, where possible.
4. Slice thinly, since the taste is strong, and a little goes a long way.
5. Keep cool, wrapped, and use within the date; refrigerate once cut.

Overconsumption could cause…

Salami is a processed meat, best occasional.

1. Higher risk of bowel cancer and other conditions with regular intake of processed meat, which the World Health Organization's cancer agency classifies as carcinogenic to humans, because of nitrites, salt and smoking, so keep it occasional.
2. High salt (sodium), which can raise blood pressure over time, particularly in cured, canned and processed products.
3. Nitrites and nitrates used in curing, which can form cancer-linked nitrosamines when cooked at high heat, so avoid charring cured meats.
4. Raised LDL cholesterol and heart disease risk from the saturated fat in fattier cuts, skin and processed products, so choose lean cuts and trim visible fat.
5. Listeria infection from cold cured or sliced meats and pâté, a particular risk in pregnancy, older age and weak immunity, so these groups should avoid them or heat them until steaming hot. This applies to dry-cured salami, which is not cooked.

GroupsProcessed MeatMammals (red meat)High saturated fatCured or salted

Related foodsBaconChorizoCorned BeefHamPancettaPastrami

Wikipedia — Salami, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salami