Salami (Salam) of the Bergamasque region

It falls on December 8, Immaculate Conception Day, the traditional date when in the past Bergamo families “killed the pig.” This ritual marked the main event of the winter: all the members, from children to the elderly, were involved, under the guidance of the norcino, the one who directed the operations and gave the magic touch by adding spices (strictly secret) and salt (from which the salami takes its name). Climate, humidity, ventilation and production techniques handed down through the centuries, plus the special manual skill and “know-how” of Bergamo’s norcini, make this product inimitable outside its territory. You won’t be able to resist it! Compact, doughy and soft at the same time, fragrant and succulent, magically soluble; red bell pepper and garlic scent, with delicate hints of fresh meat. Expertly spiced with pepper, nutmeg, cloves, mace, cinnamon, coriander and other “secret” ingredients that the art of the apothecaries has handed down with cookbooks dating as far back as the 16th century to the pork butchers of Bergamo, the true directors of the finished product. Salami in the Bergamo area was and is the noble product of pork butchering. The pieces of meat are chosen by the pork butcher who masterfully minces the lean parts (thigh, shoulder, coppa) combining them with about 20 percent fat parts (chinstrap or pancettone). Then he cuts the lard with a knife so that it does not get hot. Finally he takes the bag of his spices, salt, garlic soaked in red wine, and pepper and kneads everything on the table. He inserts the mixture into the casing and proceeds to tying. This is followed by curing in a cellar or in rooms with controlled temperature and humidity. The end result is a balance of flavors, smells and aromas and a perfect slice that does not crumble and comes off the skin easily. A work of art all to be enjoyed! The Associazione norcini bergamaschi organizes courses that attract students from all over the world.
Associazione Norcini bergamaschi, via Dante Alighieri, 27. Calcinate (BG). Tel. 00393384645479

The norcino, copasunì or masant was an esteemed person who arrived at the farmsteads on a suitable day, that is, cold and dry, in the months from December to February, to kill the pig.
He would bring the wooden box, panaröla , panaröl or caséta of fixed size, necessary to mix in the salami paste and then the cotechini paste.
At dawn the copasunì carried the sack full of tools: ropes, knives, pulleys, meat grinders and funnels for bagging.
Each pork butcher had his own secret spices, different for each type of sausage.
Currently, sheep salami, goat salami, wild boar, chamois, horse, donkey and also salami processed with Branzi, such as drop salami, are produced in the Bergamo area.