Salami, the poor cousin of sausages

A few days ago, this article about salami was published in the newspaper. However, we don't think it's the ugly duckling of cured meats, as it's highly appreciated by both children and adults… The author states that there are four varieties of this sausage in Spain, but there are many more. Among others, there's the horseshoe-shaped salchichón with a slightly smoky flavor, typical of the province of León. But there are many more. We promise to investigate the topic further to bring you a more comprehensive article. In the meantime, here's this article about salchichón. The poor relation of pork products, salchichón lacks the glamour of its cousin ham, the charm of lomo, the sex appeal of its brother chorizo, or the raw power of morcilla. It's the ugly duckling of cured meats. And yet, children want nothing else in their sandwiches. The case of longaniza is curious. Everyone likes it, but it's difficult—if not impossible—to find a recipe with it other than slicing it. Good things don't really need cooking, after all. There's a trick to it. Irresistible despite the well-founded fear that a hint of pepper might spoil your afternoon, it's a bite brimming with joy and delight. It's no wonder, as it's a cured sausage that's considerably leaner and less salty than the rest of its kind. Like a true ugly duckling, when it's high-quality and fresh, it can be a magnificent swan on your plate. A delicacy hampered by some of the culinary abominations sold under the same name. Although few know it, salchichón is a delicacy fit for kings and one of the weaknesses of Alfonso XII, the great-great-grandfather of King Juan Carlos. The problem with salchichón is that it has so many varieties that sometimes it's hard to know exactly what you're talking about. So many types and so many producers. Broadly speaking, salchichón is any minced pork seasoned with spices—mainly pepper—stuffed into casings and air-cured. It's similar to chorizo, but without paprika, since it's a recipe that predates the discovery of America. None of these definitions mention the quality of the product, neither for salchichón nor for any other cured meat. So we end up with hams saltier than the Dead Sea, loins tougher than the faces of some famous chorizos, and run-of-the-mill salchichón that makes us question whether we should include products like chopped ham in our diets. Cular sausage. In Spain—because there are sausages in many other countries, like 'salami' in Italy—four different types are made. There's Vic sausage, Iberian sausage, Calamocha liver sausage, and cular sausage, which is the typical one in the Basque Country. We'll leave the ones made with meat other than pork, like wild boar, turkey, chicken, or even horse, for another day. If you're wondering why it's called cular, it's exactly what you think and what the name suggests. But don't worry, it's not meat from the pig's anus that's minced for the sausage. It refers to the use of the end of the intestine—pork or bovine—to stuff the mixture. Otherwise, the difference between cular sausage, the kind you usually find in your local shop and which typically costs between 12 and 15 euros, and the others is that they are thicker. As for Iberian sausage, there's not much to explain. Typical of Salamanca and Extremadura, its characteristic is that it is made with Iberian pork. The products of Aragon deserve special mention—the liver from Calamocha and the salchichón from Vic, the true jewel of this type of sausage and the one that captivated King Bourbon, who never missed two things whenever he visited the capital of the Osona region: meeting with the bishop and visiting the salchichón factory (what we now call fuet). Incidentally, espetec is a designation exclusively associated with one company. Calamocha Liver. In Calamocha, a town in Teruel on the Way of El Cid, known for its ham and cured meats, and for the enormous mountain of fines accumulated there by Basque drivers on their way to Benidorm, they make a different kind of sausage. A special one. Suitable only for those with strong stomachs. As its name suggests, the animal's liver is added to the minced meat. This detail presents a good opportunity to supplement the diet of young children. Liver is an important source of iron—especially beef liver—but its flavor, gelatinous appearance, and texture aren't always to everyone's liking, neither children nor adults. If you manage to sneak it into the sausage sandwich and they don't complain... you'll have scored a major victory. Vic sausage. Finally, though it will always hold a place of honor among the world's sausages, there's Vic sausage. A centuries-old tradition (the first references date back to 1456) and special climatic conditions mean that this product, with its own designation of origin, proves the adage that there's a swan inside every ugly duckling. The thin, elongated bar that this sausage forms once cured makes it especially appealing for snacking. It's best sliced ​​thinly and cut perpendicular to the axis to fully appreciate its flavor. It's more visually appealing when the knife is held at a slight angle, but experts say that you get more flavor out of it the other way around. They also explain that the secret of this Catalan delicacy lies both in the quality of its pigs—of the Landrace, Large White, and Duroc breeds—and in the special wind that blows across the Plana de Vic, a depression about 30 kilometers long surrounded by mountains, created in the heart of the Osona region (Barcelona province) by the action of the Ter River and its tributaries. There, at 600 meters above sea level, in the corridor between the Ripollès, Garrotxa, Guilleries, Montseny, Moyanès, and Llusanès mountain ranges, a continuous and gentle Pyrenean breeze blows, contrasting with the Mediterranean humidity. Combined with the area's frequent fog, this creates a magnificent natural casserole in which the marinated minced pork slowly cooks.