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Typical salami from Basilicata include:
| Capocollo |
Pork
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Pork shoulder and neck stuffed into pork
bladder, amply spiced; sometimes smoked or conserved in olive oil or
flavored with cooked wine. This is characteristic of the southern pork
butchers, it takes its name from the cut of the meat which is used,
which goes from the shoulder to the upper part of the neck. It is
elongated in shape, bright red in color and appears leaner than the
coppa from the region of Emilia, to which it is, however, very similar.
The flavor is determined by the quantity of pepper used. It is
customary, after the salting, to cover it over with finely chopped
chilli pepper.
It can be found on the serving plates of mixed, sliced, cold hams and
salamis eaten as hors d’oeuvres. |
| Lucanica |
Pork
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Sausage praised by Cicero and Martial in
the days of ancient Rome, flavored with sweet and spicy pepper, fennel
seeds, and black pepper; eaten grilled or roasted, or raw if smoked. |
| Prosciutto Lucano |
Pork
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The processing of this
prosciutto has particular methods of preparation, arising from the many
centuries of experience spent in the research of the best result in
terms of the flavor and the method of preservation. The animals used are
of limited dimensions, not being over one hundred and twenty to one
hundred and forty kilograms (two hundred and sixty to three hundred
pounds) in weight, and bred by the farmers of the area. After the thigh
of the animal has been trimmed and prepared, it is put in brine for two
weeks, then transferred to different premises and put between the
original wooden presses, with a slight tightening of the screws each
day. The operation lasts eight or ten days during which the liquids are
squeezed out of the meat. Once this is over, the prosciutto is larded in
the cut parts with a mixture of pork fat, pepper and hot chili pepper.
Now the ham can undergo the first ageing which will last three or four
months; finally, after another larding, the prosciutto is aged for
another period of time. The final product is put on sale after at least
fifteen months of treatment and is truly praiseworthy. |
| Salsiccia Pezzente |
Pork
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Sausage made from minced pork scraps (head,
cheek, lights, liver, and nerves), generously spiced and flavored with
garlic; grilled and eaten on toasted bread, in soups, or over polenta.
The “pezzente” (beggar) sausage: the adjective refers to the poor
quality of the meats used, coming from parts of the pig which could not
be used for the more noble preparations, and this is why it is also
known as the sausage of the poor. Parts of the head are used, above all
the cheek and other various scraps, all finely minced up. The mixture is
seasoned with salt, wild fennel and hot chili pepper and then packed
into the same stomach casing used for the traditional sausage.
Connoisseurs eat it raw, but the real specialty is obtained by boiling
it together with vegetables and enjoying it on slices of toasted bread,
or grilled and served with polenta. |
| Soppressata |
Pork
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Salami from lean pork meat and pork fat
(preferably from small black pigs). The meat is cut by knife rather than
ground, then spiced, stuffed into casings, and pressed under a weight to
obtain its characteristic flattened shape (hence the name).
Traditionally hung near the hearth to age and acquire a delicate smoky
aroma. Sometimes conserved in olive oil or lard; may contain pork blood
or ground sweet peppers for a brighter red color. This is perhaps the
most typical salami of the Lucania region. In the area around Potenza,
they call it soperzata. It has its country of adoption in the
territories of Lagonegro, Lauria, Picerno and Tricarico. It should be
made, from pork fillet, and the pig, should be a black pigs. The meat is
processed by hand using the method known as "punta di coltello" (‘knife
point’). Once the pork meat is reduced down to an even mixture, small
cubes of lard, salt and black pepper are added. It is all then packed
into the wide stomach sacking, tied into single salamis so that each
piece has an average weight of about two hundred grams (seven ounces)
and is kept weighted down overnight; finally, it is slightly smoked. The
ageing lasts four to five months. The salami is preserved in earthenware
or glass jars in olive oil or, better still, in the pork fat of the same
pig. |
The Basilicata salami on this page are for sale at: not available
(due to FDA regulations they do NOT ship to the USA).
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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