When I go out with friends and we get one of those fancy meat and cheese boards, I always greedily scoop up all the meats as fast as I can. Sure, cheese is great and all. But I want those meats! There’s prosciutto and mortadella and pâté—but the real prize of the board is the salami. Did you know that there are actually different types of salami? Oh, you did know that? Well, good for you, Captain Salami. But do you know anything about cotto salami? That’s what I thought. What is cotto salami? How does cotto salami compare vs hard salami, or vs genoa? What is cotto salami made of? Let’s get silly with cotto salami!
What is cotto salami?
Salami is a cured meat product that’s been popular in Italy for hundreds of years. The art of curing meat has been practiced extensively throughout Eastern, Southern, and Central Europe but it really found its audience in Italy. And different regions of Italy even have their own specialty salamis.
Salami is usually pork, but sometimes it’s made with beef, veal or a combination. And it’s always cured, whether with salt, air, smoke, or whatever. So, what makes cotto salami different? Cotto salami is cooked. Most other salamis are “cooked” during the curing process. But cotto salami is actually cooked in the traditional sense of the word—it’s usually smoked or boiled—either before or after curing. Cotto salami is from the Piedmont region in Italy. But it’s spread all over the world. You can probably find an Oscar Meyer version of cotto salami with your local grocery store’s lunch meats.
What is cotto salami made of?
So, we know that cotto salami is cooked, but what is it made of? What are cotto salami’s ingredients? Cotto salami is usually made with pork meat. Pork shoulder is a very popular cut for cotto. That is mixed with bits of fat and spices and wine or sometimes mint. Really, the spice mix is up to whoever is making it. Outside of Italy, cotto salami can get a little wild. Oscar Meyer’s lunch meat version is made with chicken, beef, and pork. For me, I don’t really care what it’s made of. The most important thing is it’s there and I can eat it.
Cotto salami vs genoa: What’s the difference?
Genoa salami comes from the Genoa region of Italy. Big surprise there. Genoa salami is usually made with pork, although sometimes you can sneak a little beef in there. A lot of the genoa salami sold in the U.S. is smoked. The biggest thing that sets genoa salami apart from other salami like cotto salami, is that it is fermented. Genoa salami is treated with a natural bacteria or yeast in order to preserve it. Cotto salami on the other hand, is cooked.
Cotto salami vs hard salami: What’s the difference?
Cotto salami is one of the softer salamis. The cooking process lends it a nice, soft lunch meat feel, perfect for sandwiches. Hard salami, like the name implies, is hard. Hard salami is typically made from beef. It can have higher protein content than other salamis as well as little to no moisture stemming from its lower fat content.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!