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Fermentation Atlas

Meat from Italy

Soppressata di Calabria DOPSoppressata di Calabria

Lean pork from the shoulder, ham and fillet is minced medium with back fat, salt, black pepper and often wine and red pepper, then stuffed into pig casing, hand-tied and slightly flattened. It matures naturally for at least 45 days into a firm, red, slightly flattened salami. Made in 6 steps over 45 days. The longest step, mature naturally, takes at least 45 days (Ministero dell'agricoltura). Lactic acid bacteria and staphylococci does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 45 daysSet[masaf][disc1998]Mature naturally
Temperature0–3 °CSet[disc1998]Chill the lean and back fat
Fully documentedMeat45 daysMore meatMore from Italy

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe specification fixes the cuts, the fat share and the minimum maturing time, but not the salt or pepper amounts.
Lean pork from shoulder, ham and fillet · Pigs of large breeds raised in Calabria from no later than four months of age[masaf]
4–15 % of the meatPork back fat (lardo) · The 1998 text gave 12–15 %, from the front of the loin near the capocollo[masaf][disc1998]
Salt and black pepper[masaf]
Wine and natural flavourings[masaf]
Hot red pepper or hot pepper cream (piccante), or sweet red pepper (dolce) · Left out in the white version[masaf]
Additives within legal limits (optional) · Caseinate, ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate, sodium lactate, nitrate and nitrite[disc1998]
Starterspontaneous; industrial makers use starter cultures

Total time across the recorded steps: 45 days

Start
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0–3 °C

What changes: Starting material: chilled pork lean and back fat

Step 1 of 6
Chill the lean and back fat
Time
Not documented
Temperature
0–3 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Output: chilled lean and back fat, never frozen.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Soppressata di Calabria is pressed into a slightly flattened shape and uses Calabrian heavy pigs, lean from the shoulder, ham and fillet, and 4–15 % back fat. It must mature naturally for at least 45 days.

Related ferments

Variants

  • PiccanteHot red pepper or hot pepper cream in the mix.
  • DolceSweet red pepper.
  • BiancaNo red pepper.

Safety

Homemade soppressata had more biogenic amines than industrial soppressata made with starter cultures. The specification allows nitrate and nitrite only within legal limits.

Hazards the sources name: Enterobacteriaceae.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Registered as a DOP by Regulation (EC) No 134/98 in January 1998.

  1. [masaf] Ministero dell'agricoltura, della sovranità alimentare e delle foreste (MASAF), Salumi DOP, Soppressata di Calabria (product specification summary)gov
  2. [disc1998] Disciplinare di produzione della Soppressata di Calabria DOP (Reg. CE 134/98), text reproduced by agraria.orgspec
  3. [tamang2016] Tamang J.P., Watanabe K., Holzapfel W.H. 2016, Review, diversity of microorganisms in global fermented foods and beverages, Frontiers in Microbiology 7:377 (Table, soppressata)paper
  4. [leggio2012] Leggio A., Belsito E.L., De Marco R. et al. 2012, Dry fermented sausages of Southern Italy, a comparison of free amino acids and biogenic amines between industrial and homemade products, Journal of Food Sciencepaper