Salama da sugo IGP
Salama da sugo is the undisputed queen of Ferrara cuisine, crowned by the IGP recognition. Tasty and juicy, it is a classic of Christmas tables, but you will find it all year round, accompanied by its rich mashed potatoes.
It is a sausage with ancient origins, made from a mixture of pork (schooner, capocollo, bacon, shoulder, tongue and liver) minced with red wine, salt, black pepper and other spices including nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. It requires a maturation of at least 6 months.
Its cooking is a real ritual usually which is strictly followed. First, it is important to soak the salama in lukewarm water for a whole night. This will help soften the external encrustations, which will then be gently brushed. The Salama must then be immersed in a pot of water, possibly wrapping it first in a piece of fine cloth or in the special cooking bag. But be careful, the salama must not touch the bottom of the pot, so arm yourself with a wooden stick, place it on the edges of the pot and tie the salama with its own string. It should then be cooked for at least 4 hours, low heat, in boiling water. The bladder enclosing the sausage must not break, to avoid the dispersion of the delicious sauce.
Once cooked, you will then be able to cut it on the top, thus collecting its tasty and soft dough with a spoon.
In Ferrara you will also find some variations of the salama da sugo,
"Salame da succo" is a sausage in which the cooking juices of the meat are preserved.
"Salama da tai" can be enjoyed raw and sliced.
Finally, the "Bondiola", has a slightly different composition than the salama, and is cooked directly without being seasoned.
