THE ETYMOLOGY OF DELI MEATS
Among the traditional Italian deli meats there are some specialities with evocative and particular names, do you know their origin?
The Calabrian ‘Nduia
The spicy ‘Nduia is one of the most famous deli meats of the South, a true regional ‘heritage’ of Calabria that owes its particular deep red colour to the presence of chilli pepper. The name can be traced back to the presence of Napoleon’s army in the Kingdom of Naples and the territories of Calabria in 1800, and seems to derive from the French andouille, an ancient sausage from beyond the Alps made from pure pork, which is now also popular in the USA, especially in Louisiana and New Orleans.
The Finocchiona
It is easy to understand that the name of this PGI sausage is linked to the presence of fennel seeds in the mixture, cheaper to find than pepper and therefore preferred by pork butchers when the nobler spice was not available. But the astute Tuscan innkeepers soon discovered another virtue of this plant: in addition to flavouring and preserving, fennel is in fact able to cover flavours. Legend has it that they served finocchiona to patrons to hide the poor quality of their wine. Hence, the verb ‘infinocchiare’!
The Salame Felino
Be careful not to be misled: Felino salami has nothing to do with cats or felines in general! Instead, it owes its name to the village of Felino, 15 kilometres from Parma, where it has been produced since the Middle Ages. This hilly village, with its temperate and constantly windy climate, is the ideal cradle for cured meats and is now world-famous thanks to the PGI cured meat product of the same name.
Priest’s hat
Pork ‘cappello del prete’ should not be confused with beef. In the case of pork, we are talking about a cured sausage with a triangular shape, reminiscent of the special hat once used by priests, while in the case of beef, the cappello del prete is a noble cut that is used in the kitchen especially for roasting or boiling.
This deli meat is typical of the Bassa Piacenza and Bassa Parmense areas and is of very ancient origin: already in the 16th century it was prepared to be eaten during Easter festivities or during Carnival.
