SPICY NDUJA

Spicy ‘Nduja is a typical cold cut from Calabria, or rather, it is the undisputed queen of Calabrian cured meats. Spicy ‘Nduja is a cured meat obtained by trimming pork cuts: it is prepared with the fat parts of the pig to which salt, pepper and, above all, chilli are added. This sausage has a creamy and soft consistency; in addition, it is characterized by a bright red color due to the high concentration of hot pepper. Thanks to the chili pepper and its properties, ‘Nduja is a 100% natural and genuine product.

It has slightly smoky notes, while the flavor is tasty and spicy.

How do you best savor this Calabrian specialty? Spicy ‘Nduja is a very versatile product that can be tasted and consumed in many different and creative ways. The most common one is to spread it on a slice of toasted bread. Another widespread use is to use it as a base for first courses; in fact, pasta with ‘Nduja is a classic of Calabrian cuisine. In this regard, it is also perfect for creating a spicy and tasty sauté to add to tomato sauce or meat sauce. Another perfect combination to enhance the flavor of this product are semi-aged cheeses. The contrast between the strong flavor of the salami and the delicate one of the cheese creates a unique and inimitable flavor.

A full-bodied and tannic red wine such as the classic Cirò Rosso DOC is perfect as a pairing.

Processing

As the Calabrian tradition dictates, spicy ‘Nduja is produced during the winter months with the fatty parts of the pork: bacon and lard. These cuts are minced and then mixed with the typical Calabrian hot pepper, which, in addition gives it the typical bright red color, and guarantees a long shelf life of the product. The mixture is worked until it reaches a sufficiently creamy and homogeneous consistency, at this point it is stuffed into the casing and subjected to a light smoking phase. Finally, the spicy ‘Nduja is left to mature for a period of between three and six months.

Background

The news regarding the origins of spicy ‘Nduja are imprecise and different, as they are the result of oral tradition. The only certain thing is that it is a product born from the need not to throw away anything from the pork, precisely according to the saying “nothing is thrown away from the pig”. According to various sources, the term ‘Nduja seems to come from the French word andouille, which is the term used in France since the Middle Ages to indicate cured meats made from the entrails and tripe of the pork. It is thought that a first version of ‘Nduja, is the one brought to Calabria by Gioacchino Murat, king of Naples, during the Napoleonic wars, to win the favor of the people. The stories tell that the Calabrians fell in love with it and reinvented it, making it the queen of their own tradition and cultural identity.