How to Buy Salami in Italy
We often say "salami" when we mean a single type of cured meat the Italians call salame, the singular of salami. Unlike Italy, Americans find very few types of salami in supermarkets. In any store in Italy (or salumeria, the generic name for places that sell salumi, or salted and cured meat products) you'll find many, many examples of salami, along with other dried meat products.
The picture below represents 1 etto (about a quarter pound) of Ventricina, a type of salame made in the Abruzzo. This should cost you about 2 Euro or so. Click the buttons to hear audio representing how you'd ask for various kinds and weights of salami, as well as a couple of rolls to make sandwiches out of.
Notes on the Units of Measure and Language
The units of measure we'll use are etti. One etto is a tenth of a kilogram, or .22 pounds. Due etti, or 2 etti, are .44 pounds. We finish each demand with a polite "per favore" or please.
Typical Salami You'll Find in a Supermarket in Italy
Below are some of the most popular types of salami found in Italy. You should find them in most supermarkets, as well as in a salumeria or norcheria (both signifying places that sell cured meats, the later named after Norchia in Umbria, famous for its meats, especially wild boar.) Those listed are just a few of the hundreds of kinds of salami you'll come across as you traverse Italy; each of Italy's 20 regions has its own variation of spices, textures, form factors and meat grind.
Felino - Salame di Felino comes from a town near Parma that the Etruscans called "Felsina." It is aged in the same manner as the famous prosciutto, and is considered one of Italy's best salami.
Finocchiona - Throw some fennel seeds into your meat mixture for salame and you'll have Finocchiona. It's one of my personal Favorites.
Soppressata - Originally from the south (Calabria) soppressata is flattened during the curing process, giving it it's characteristic shape. It is one of the softer salami.Ventricina - From the Abruzzo and shown above, this is one of my favorite salami. The roughly ground pork is made slightly spicy from dried hot peppers called peperoncini, and sometimes has fennel seeds and orange peel added as well. Very nice.
More on Salami
The Istituto Valorizzazione Salumi Italiani has a website which has some English pages. There is a restaurant list as well, so you don't have to go out and buy your salami.
Shopping in an Open Air Market
To find out what an open air market is in Italy, come along with us to our local market via our Fivizzano Tuesday Market Video.
More Shopping in Italian Markets
Buying chicken in Italy | Food Shopping in Italy (From Italy Travel)
Italy on the cheap? Yes, you can do it if you live like the locals. Rent a vacation house or apartment and buy your food in markets (with Italy's fine wine, cheese, bread and salumi there's no need to even turn on a stove on those hot summer days). This page shows you how to aquire some nice cured meats.
If you're an afficionado of Italian food, you'll get a lot out of this witty companion to the raw materials used in Italy's regional cuisine: The Oxford Companion to Italian Food. Click the thumbnail to find out more.
