Salame di Varzi

Salame di Varzi (Varzi salami) is a coarse-ground pork sausage from the Oltrepò Pavese hills around the town of Varzi (Pavia, Lombardy), a PDO since 1996. Lean meat is mixed with sea salt, whole black pepper and an infusion of garlic in red wine, stuffed into pig casing and aged from 45 days to 6 months depending on size.

In Varzi every size has its own name and its own clock. A Filzetta of 0.5–0.7 kg ages at least 45 days, a Filzettone of 0.7–1 kg 60, a Sottocrespone of 1–2 kg in single casing 120. Slowest of all is the Cucito in double casing: at least 180 days. Even pieces under 500 g need 30 days.

The pigs are raised in Piedmont, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna and, by tradition, fattened over the last three months to a live weight of at least 150 kg. The mix may use shoulder, leg, loin, fillet, trimmed capocollo and belly. Fat comes from the cheek, the top of the shoulder and the loin back fat. Frozen or otherwise preserved meat is banned.

Every kilo of mince, ground through 12 mm holes, gets 25 g of sea salt, 2 g of whole black pepper and 10 ml of garlic infused in filtered red wine, plus a pinch of nitrate or nitrite. The mix is stuffed into natural pig casing, pricked, tied tightly with string and left to dry and age in ventilated rooms.

Processing is allowed only in the communes of the Oltrepò Pavese mountain community: Varzi, Bagnaria, Brallo di Pregola, Menconico, Ponte Nizza, Romagnese, Santa Margherita di Staffora, Val di Nizza, Zavattarello and others. The raw meat may come from a wider area, but salt, pepper and time do their work only here. An Italian law of 1989 already protected the name.

The cut is tender and bright red, the taste sweet and delicate, the aroma fragrant.

Salame Felino is minced at 6–8 mm, Varzi at 12 mm, and Salame Piacentino coarser still, at 14–18 mm. Its Lombard neighbour Salame Brianza has a fine 4–8 mm grind and ages 3 to 15 weeks, while Varzi goes up to half a year.

On the label, look for «Salame di Varzi» and «Denominazione di Origine Protetta». The 1989 regulation also called for an aluminium-foil seal, preferably gold-coloured, showing the production date.

Why this matters to you: the size of a Varzi tells you its minimum age. A 1.5 kg Sottocrespone has aged at least 120 days, a Cucito half a year. So when you choose this Salami among other dry-cured sausages, check the weight and the format name: here they are part of the rules, not just a matter of taste.