Tortona Valleys Salami

The three valleys of the Presidium name are Val Curone, Val Grue and Valle Ossona, south-west of Tortona (in the province of Alessandria), on the border between Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria. Production is traditional and includes all the most classic products of Piedmontese pork butchery (sausages, cacciatorini, cotechini, cooked salami, zamponi, pancetta, lardo), but the area’s main speciality is raw salami, made with heavy pigs bred and slaughtered in the area. The cuts used, as far as the lean part is concerned, are shoulder (60% of the mixture), thigh, loin, fillet, coppa, lean bacon, trimmings from the bench and ham; the lean part of the rib, used in the production of cacciatorini and cooked salami, is absolutely excluded. The fat part (20-30% of the total), on the other hand, consists of the throat and/or bacon. The meat, coarsely minced, is seasoned with sea salt, black peppercorns and fine ground pepper, and a filtered infusion of fresh garlic and local red wine. Stuffed into natural pork casing, the salami dries for a couple of weeks. Depending on the size of the product, the curing period ranges from a minimum of three months to a maximum of eighteen. During this period, the salamis are progressively moved from the cool cellars to higher rooms, in order to better manage the mould cycle, a fundamental element for the organoleptic qualities of the product.This salami, to be eaten raw, is remarkable after three months of ageing, but when it exceeds one year it offers extraordinary organoleptic complexity. It remains sweet, juicy, inviting and takes on intense aromas of undergrowth, walnut and noble mould. Its processing involves the use of local wine in the mixture: the ideal pairing is therefore with the wines of the territory, which it is worth remembering, are growing in quality and offer.

Season

The salami of the Tortona valleys is produced from October to April.