MILANO SALAMI SLICE

Milano Salami, commonly called ‘The Milanese’ is also known as “Crespone”, from the name of the casing used. 

It is a typical Lombardy salami, produced in the south area of Milan, specifically between Codogno and San Colombano al Lambro.

Milano Salami is characterised by a compact, rice-grain paste, a bright red colour, a delicate and sweet flavour and a maturation period of up to 2 months. 

It is among the types of salami that are most appreciated by consumers around the world, both for its sweet flavour and its fine grain, and it is one of the essentials of Italian cuisine. 

Milano Salami is very similar to Hungarian Salami, but the latter has a much more pungent spicy aroma due to the greater variety of spices used to flavour the mixture. 

It can be eaten by itself or with the “Michetta” – a typical Milanese bread – as a quick snack or a tasty packed lunch. 

Given its versatility, it is a perfect ingredient to prepare aperitifs, first courses or tasty savoury pies. 

Among the best wines to pair with this cured meat are: Alezio Rosato DOC, Lago di Caldara Classico Superiore, and Santa Maddalena DOC.

Processing

The mixture is skilfully minced to a fine grain and seasoned with salt, pepper and herbs.

It is then stuffed into casings with a diameter of about 10 cm.

At this point, the maturing process begins. This phase lasts longer for this type of salami because of its large diameter, but it is necessary to obtain the optimal compactness between the fatty and lean parts. 

Historical notes 

Milano Salami takes its origin from a traditional recipe of a typical salami produced between the Milan and Lodi areas at the end of the 19th century.

During these years, it began to be exported to America with the aim of bringing a piece of Italy into the homes of Italian emigrants. 

With its deliberately evocative name, this salami brought the emigrants, slice after slice, back home, causing the fame of this salami to grow overseas month after month.  

Its continuous production made Milano Salami even more famous and available all year round: in fact, until that time, the consumption of this cured meat was linked to seasonality.

From the 1950s onwards, the production of Milano Salami – which until then had mainly been destined for the foreign market – was also extended to the Italian market.