What is the difference between "salumi" and "salami"??
 

Please clarify the real difference between these two for me...are they the same thing and if not, are they both in casings??

"Recipe requests come in waves. In winter, people write for instructions on making cold cuts from pork: Salami, prosciutto, salsiccia, finocchiona, pancetta, and so on, which are collectively referred to as SALUMI. In the past these were all made when hogs were butchered in late fall or early winter, and set aside to guarantee a supply of meat during the warmer months when uncured meats would spoil rapidly. Since their names vary considerably from place to place within Italy, we'll begin by saying what these terms mean in Tuscany, which is where I live:

SALAMI: It's a large (3-4 inches across) sausage made with ground pork and cubes of fat that are seasoned with garlic, salt, and spices, and stuffed into the pig's large intestine. It's smaller cousin is salamino, with a similar filling (the fat may be ground somewhat finer) but only an inch thick. The town of Felino, in Emilia Romagna, is famed for its salamino. Salamino piccante, spicy salamino, is made with enough red pepper to give it that familiar orange cast; in the US it's known as pepperoni. All of these salamis are consumed raw."

Harzer

Harzer,

Thank you for the explanation...to further clarify, if I order "salumi" am I likely to get a plate of mixed meats, a different mix from place to place???

Traviata:

I've never seen 'salumi' offered as a choice on a menu. I've always seen it used as a generic word for pork-based products: usually used in contexts like chapter headings in a recipe book, tariff headings or hygiene rules.

The examples harzer gives include words like salsiccie and pancetta that are <b> mostly </b> used for food eaten cooked and hot. Proscuitto is never used to describe something in casings: I think I might have occasionally seen pancetta used for a casing product, but it's almost always an Italian twist on bacon.

There are very, very few Italian food or agricultural terms with one, standard, national usage. Harzer quotes the norm in Tuscany: but even within one region you may well stumble over a restaurant or salumaio where these terms have a distinctive local meaning.

It's futile seeking a &quot;real&quot; anything in Italy when it comes to food.

Italian verbs conjugate in a very simple way:

My mother's food is the real thing.
Your mother cooks oddly.
Foreigners (even with Italian surnames) haven't the faintest idea.

Cotswold,

Thank you.....the reason I asked is because I did see it twice on menus in different towns as a choice for openers...if I understand correctly, &quot;salami&quot; IS a &quot;salumi&quot;, and a serving of &quot;salumi&quot; would likely be a combination of any of several dried , cured meats......but I think you are right when you say it is difficult to find a &quot;standard&quot;....it is what it is..just enjoy!!

You are corrrect: Salami is a salumi. The variety on your plate will differ from region to region. Some restaurants are known for their salumi and will feature it on the menu as a special.

ek,

Thanks....now I will feel more confident when I order!!

Culatello is considered one of the greats in the salumi world, so see if you an give that a try during your trip. It is considered finer than prosciutto by many aficionados. If you tell us where you will be traveling maybe we can have some fun recommending diferent meats.

ek,

It will be our annual trip in October and we'll be in Veneto, Umbria, Tuscany and Liguria..lots of opportunity to sample and while we have tasted much, we also like to expand into new things...within reason, of course....I won't be eating tripe...!!

Sounds like a great trip, even without the tripe!! If you will be visiting Verona I can recommend a wonderful restaurant with a superb salumi selection....let us know!

ek,

Won't make Verona this trip, but will be in Venice, Asolo, Mantova and the surrounds before driving to Ravenna..any suggestions would be appreciated..especially since there will be no tripe!!

Thank you!