salame

The general word for a cured, ready-to-eat sausage. The English word 'salami' is actually the plural, for what in Italy is called a salame.

In Italy, the reigning salame can change from one village to the next. They come in all shapes and sizes, although almost all are made of chopped or ground pork meat and fat, with spices (unless they are desserts that resemble a salame, such as the salame del re).

Regional varieties are endless. Every Alpine valley seems to have its own; salametto from Piedmont is one of many that is a mix of pork and pancetta.

Some salami are smoked, like the popular salame Napoli. Some are soft and spreadable, such as the salama al sugo of Ferrara and the spicy 'nduja of Calabria. Sicily is a great salame region, with versions made from the suino nero (black pig) of the Nebrodi Mountains, salami flavoured with fennel or pistachios, and boar salame from Ragusa.