Thursday, May 26, 2011

Salame Time

So whenever I go to Costco I like to buy a large package of basic salami from Columbus. Little did I know the company offers over forty varieties of Salame, and have been in the business since 1917.  Those are just two little facts that I learned when I was recently sent a salami party kit.

Salame, like other meats, is a blended deli meat, chopped and blended with spices, and then stuffed into some variety of casing.  Similar to a wine or a cheese then it ages, which is what helps the flavor develop and evolve.

Now for opening this awesome box they sent me....there were 6 mini salami logs inside, some of their best from the 3 different families of salami Columbus offers. In the natural catergoy, was the peppered salame, and I can't say much other than it was beyond peppery; my mouth was on fire. Not from heat, just from too much pepper.

The classics are what most people are familiar with flavor-wise.  We tried the Italian Dry, the Toscano, and the Herb Salame. The Toscano is more of a lean option, with the Italian Dry being a little bit more fatty. The herb salami, which is crusted in herbs, is hands down my favorite! They recommend adding this to your antipasto plate or in your picnic basket and I totally agree.

Then we moved on to the artisan options.  Maybe I'm just not a sophisticated meat person, but I did not  care for either the hot sopressata nor the sakame secchi. The hot sopressata wasn't super hot, but I'm not sure how to explain it other than it was really meaty. The sakame secchi smelled like bleach, and tasted like oysters, but hey, that's just one girl's opinion. 

Overall this has been an interesting exploration into the world of Salami, and now know what I would or would not want in my picnic basket.

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