Salami
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Salami is a any of a type of cured meat sausages that were first created in Italy. To be a salami, three key processes must exist: fermentation, air-drying, and seasoning with salt. There are many different kinds of salami. The word salami comes from the Italian word salare, meaning "to make something salty".
The original salami was made from a mix of chopped pork and salt, which was dried using air in a casing. Now there are many types of salamis made in many different countries.
Nearly all salame are seasoned with a combination of herbs and spices in addition to salt. Salamis are now sometimes smoked or cooked before air drying.
Some kinds of salami are made of beef, while others mix beef and pork. Salamis sometimes use more exotic meats or game meats, such as venison or boar. Some "lighter" salami might add turkey or chicken to reduce both fat and calories.
Most, if not all, Italian salamis have garlic in them, but few German kinds do. Some salamis, include paprika or chili. The difference between some types of salami includes how coarse or fine the meat is chopped.
Many salamis are named after the city or region where they come from. Some examples are Arles, Genoa, Hungarian, and Milano salamis.
Italy has a very large variety of salume, and many regions are known for their special take on the meat. Sopressata is an Italian salami (a fermented and dried sausage) and a specialty of the southwestern Italian region of Calabria; it is usually available in hot or sweet varieties, and is often used on sandwiches. Sopressa is a large flat salame produced in the Northeast Italy (in Veneto and Frioul).
Hard salami (originally from Germany, but became popular outside of Germany through immigration from Central European countries) and Genoa salami (originally from the northwest region of Liguria in Italy) are quite popular at American deli counters, and are often included on charcuterie boards.
Pepperoni, probably the most well-known salami on this list, is an American invention, created by Italian-American immigrants; it is, however, a salami. Finocchiona is a less-commonly found outside of Italy type of Tuscan (from Tuscany, Italy) pork salami which is flavored distinctively with wild fennel seeds or fennel pollen.
Not all salami is nearly as solid; 'Nduja (or 'nduja di Spilinga) is a type of spreadable, fiery-hot pork salami made with Calabrian chili peppers; it originated in the village of Spilinga (located in the Vibo Valentia province of the Calabria region of Southern Italy). 'Nduja inverts the fat to lean muscle ratio of the typical sausage, with three parts fat to one part leaner protein/meat. Roughly 30% of the mass of a 'nduja sausage is composed of Calabrian chili peppers.
In Italy, sausages such as salamis are often sold in salumeria (sausage shops).