The Sausage Platter
Satirist Jonathan Swift once quipped that the man who first tried an oyster was a brave soul. But what of those who dared to bite into a mold-covered, salt-cured piece of meat that had sat around for weeks or months? Sausage was born as a way to preserve food. But centuries of culinary progress have rendered a delicious pursuit: the French call it charcuterie and the Italians salumi.
If your sausage experience is limited to the curled pepperoni pieces that top pizzas or bologna sandwiches, prepare yourself for a bite of a well-cured salami that will thrill with gentle fats melting on the palate, savory flavors and a profound finish. And it’s a treat that will please a crowd with ease.
Both methodologies use whole chunks of meat such as guanciale (pork jowl) and prosciutto and may also include the classic ground meat stuffed into casings we call salami. The technique is straightforward: mix fat with ground pork, beef or lamb with spices and herbs, add salt (an essential component) and leave to hang. Molds such as penicillium are added on the outside to protect the meat from disease. Fermentation helps preserve the sausage and develop its flavor. Properly done, it will keep for months.
Seasonings separate the two approaches. French saucisson (French for sausage) might have cheese, liquor, dried fruits or nuts, while Italian salami features fennel, garlic, red wine, Calabrian chiles and rosemary. Salami, a subset of Italian salumi, comprises hundreds of types, from many regions. Mild Genoa is soft in texture and includes garlic. Peppery soppressata is coarser and made with pork. Finocchiona typically substitutes fennel for pepper. Mortadella, a large-format, bologna-like sausage with chunks of pork fat, may contain nuts, berries and peppercorns. As well as its own delicious saucisson, France provides cured pâtés, jambon (cured, but unspiced ham) and boudin noir, a sausage that includes blood.
Pete Balistreri, founder of Southern California-based P. Balistreri Salumi, specializes in reviving the ancient art form with the best ingredients. He recommends serving simply with crusty bread, cheese and olive oil. “Put those on a board and I could do that all day long,” Balistreri says.
