Taste of 'soppressata' from Calabria depends on the lean meat used, selected from parts of pork leg and fillet and deprived of nerves. The sausage mixture, containing first quality bacon is minced into small cubes to give sausage softness. The result is a high quality product, appreciated by gourmet food lovers.

 

Calabrian cured meat dates back to the period of the Greek colonies. The first written reference belongs to the seventeenth century and it describes the methods used for treating pork. More recent evidence of sausage production in Calabria is contained in the census carried out in the times of Joachim Murat which noted that use of spices and extracts from local plants added extra flavour to meat.

 

Calabrian cured meat comes from locally-raised hogs. During treatment, natural flavours such as cumin, black pepper, red pepper and chilli peppers are added to meat which is then aged. Depending on the type of product, the ageing process may last from the minimum of thirty to the maximum of one hundred days.

 

The shapes of the products also vary. Capocollo, Pancetta, Salsiccia and Soppressata are produced in the environment created by a climate typical of the Italian Mediterranean areas.

 

All phases of meat production, preparation and treatment may be carried out anywhere within the region of Calabria.