Salamis are distinguished according to the type of meat grinding (fine, medium, or coarse), the types of spices and ingredients used (garlic, chili, fennel seeds, wine), and the curing duration (from two to nine months).
The word "salami," although it may seem of simple origin (salt), is ambiguous and at the same time contradictory. In ancient charcuterie, this name did not exist, and preserved sausages using salt were referred to as: "botulus" or "insicia" (sausage).
It was during the Middle Ages that all salted meat and fish products were called "salacca" (saracca) or "salamem". These foods were sold by "Lardaroli", and it is almost certain that someone began calling someone "salami" to label them as an expressionless, tough person like a dead fish. At the same time, thanks to trade with the northern seas, salted cod, known as "baccalao" or bacalao, also became increasingly common, and these new names made the term "salamen" for salted fish gradually fall out of use.
Salami has always been made from residual meat derived from the production of finer sausages. The "best" meats from which it was made included shoulder and loin, followed by all secondary cuts or garnishes of the finer cuts.
Traditionally, grinding was done with a knife. Salt and flavors were added to the meat, varying according to the region of production.
The meat was packed into various pig casings, more or less thick, whose porosity varied significantly, consequently influencing the seasoning and characteristics of the finished product.
The rectum, called "gentile," representing the most sturdy casing, was used in homemade salami.
