Are salamis/pepperonis in the USA truly fermented?
I've been exploring making my own salami and have learned that it is a lot of work! Not only must you make sausage, but you must also ferment it and dry it for many days. The fermentation piece seems especially tricky due to the work involved with fermentation starters and the risk of illness (or even death) if done improperly. The fermentation and drying periods also require fairly precise humidity and temperature.
This is why I'm surprised to see so much salami and peperoni in grocery stores. You can find these everywhere for very cheap, which I find surprising given the amount of work involved. I suppose it isn't that expensive if done at an industrial scale with meat scraps, but still, I have doubts that all salamis in the USA are indeed fermented.
Salamis are by their definition a fermented product. Are all or most salamis sold in the USA indeed fermented?
fermentation sausages salami
edited Dec 2 '18 at 22:52
Cindy
14.3k83777
asked Dec 2 '18 at 18:58
Behacad
455210
add a comment |
I've been exploring making my own salami and have learned that it is a lot of work! Not only must you make sausage, but you must also ferment it and dry it for many days. The fermentation piece seems especially tricky due to the work involved with fermentation starters and the risk of illness (or even death) if done improperly. The fermentation and drying periods also require fairly precise humidity and temperature.
This is why I'm surprised to see so much salami and peperoni in grocery stores. You can find these everywhere for very cheap, which I find surprising given the amount of work involved. I suppose it isn't that expensive if done at an industrial scale with meat scraps, but still, I have doubts that all salamis in the USA are indeed fermented.
Salamis are by their definition a fermented product. Are all or most salamis sold in the USA indeed fermented?
fermentation sausages salami
edited Dec 2 '18 at 22:52
Cindy
14.3k83777
asked Dec 2 '18 at 18:58
Behacad
455210
3
If you make it your business to sell these commercially, you solve the problems. Otherwise, all our distilled spirits would contain methanol... fermentation is not that hard, I think.
– James McLeod
Dec 2 '18 at 19:31
No it's not that hard I suppose, but it's also not that hard to make many things that big companies cheap out on because they can. Rye bread is rarely rye bread, ice cream has very little cream if any quite often, etc.
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 19:52
add a comment |
I've been exploring making my own salami and have learned that it is a lot of work! Not only must you make sausage, but you must also ferment it and dry it for many days. The fermentation piece seems especially tricky due to the work involved with fermentation starters and the risk of illness (or even death) if done improperly. The fermentation and drying periods also require fairly precise humidity and temperature.
This is why I'm surprised to see so much salami and peperoni in grocery stores. You can find these everywhere for very cheap, which I find surprising given the amount of work involved. I suppose it isn't that expensive if done at an industrial scale with meat scraps, but still, I have doubts that all salamis in the USA are indeed fermented.
Salamis are by their definition a fermented product. Are all or most salamis sold in the USA indeed fermented?
fermentation sausages salami
edited Dec 2 '18 at 22:52
Cindy
14.3k83777
asked Dec 2 '18 at 18:58
Behacad
455210
I've been exploring making my own salami and have learned that it is a lot of work! Not only must you make sausage, but you must also ferment it and dry it for many days. The fermentation piece seems especially tricky due to the work involved with fermentation starters and the risk of illness (or even death) if done improperly. The fermentation and drying periods also require fairly precise humidity and temperature.
This is why I'm surprised to see so much salami and peperoni in grocery stores. You can find these everywhere for very cheap, which I find surprising given the amount of work involved. I suppose it isn't that expensive if done at an industrial scale with meat scraps, but still, I have doubts that all salamis in the USA are indeed fermented.
Salamis are by their definition a fermented product. Are all or most salamis sold in the USA indeed fermented?
fermentation sausages salami
fermentation sausages salami
edited Dec 2 '18 at 22:52
Cindy
14.3k83777
asked Dec 2 '18 at 18:58
Behacad
455210
edited Dec 2 '18 at 22:52
Cindy
14.3k83777
asked Dec 2 '18 at 18:58
Behacad
455210
edited Dec 2 '18 at 22:52
Cindy
14.3k83777
edited Dec 2 '18 at 22:52
Cindy
14.3k83777
edited Dec 2 '18 at 22:52
Cindy
14.3k83777
14.3k83777
asked Dec 2 '18 at 18:58
Behacad
455210
asked Dec 2 '18 at 18:58
Behacad
455210
asked Dec 2 '18 at 18:58
Behacad
455210
455210
3
If you make it your business to sell these commercially, you solve the problems. Otherwise, all our distilled spirits would contain methanol... fermentation is not that hard, I think.
– James McLeod
Dec 2 '18 at 19:31
No it's not that hard I suppose, but it's also not that hard to make many things that big companies cheap out on because they can. Rye bread is rarely rye bread, ice cream has very little cream if any quite often, etc.
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 19:52
add a comment |
3
If you make it your business to sell these commercially, you solve the problems. Otherwise, all our distilled spirits would contain methanol... fermentation is not that hard, I think.
– James McLeod
Dec 2 '18 at 19:31
No it's not that hard I suppose, but it's also not that hard to make many things that big companies cheap out on because they can. Rye bread is rarely rye bread, ice cream has very little cream if any quite often, etc.
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 19:52
3
3
If you make it your business to sell these commercially, you solve the problems. Otherwise, all our distilled spirits would contain methanol... fermentation is not that hard, I think.
– James McLeod
Dec 2 '18 at 19:31
If you make it your business to sell these commercially, you solve the problems. Otherwise, all our distilled spirits would contain methanol... fermentation is not that hard, I think.
– James McLeod
Dec 2 '18 at 19:31
No it's not that hard I suppose, but it's also not that hard to make many things that big companies cheap out on because they can. Rye bread is rarely rye bread, ice cream has very little cream if any quite often, etc.
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 19:52
No it's not that hard I suppose, but it's also not that hard to make many things that big companies cheap out on because they can. Rye bread is rarely rye bread, ice cream has very little cream if any quite often, etc.
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 19:52
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
The short answer is yes, salumi produced in the US is a fermented product. The process is different from salumi produced in Europe, but it is still a fermented product. In the US, producers rely on rapidly lowering the pH by using fast acting starter cultures and higher curing temperatures (as high as 104 F). Whereas in Europe, a lower temperature, and drying serve to render salumi safe. The curing times are longer, and often salt and nitrites are the main additions to create a safe product. On an industrial scale, the complexities that you have discovered are all accounted for. It is not a difficult process.
At home, it is a bit of work, but can easily be accomplished. Work cleanly, follow accepted practices, keep an eye out for bad mold...otherwise, if you can create the right curing and drying conditions, you should be able to make your own without issue, though it will take a couple of attempts to get a feel for things. A good starting point for those new to home cured meat products is whole muscle curing. Try bacon, pancetta or bresola for starters.
answered Dec 2 '18 at 21:14
moscafj
23.2k13463
Thanks! What about the cheapest pre-sliced cold-cut sandwich stuff. You reckon that is also fermented?
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 21:26
1
@Behacad : yes, but like moscafj said, there are shortcuts taken to it doesn't take long to produce (and so the flavor isn't as complex as the more expensive slow fermented dried pepperoni ... but the good stuff you generally won't find in US grocery stores; you need to go to a specialty grocery or butcher shop)
– Joe
Dec 3 '18 at 1:31
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "49"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fcooking.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f94446%2fare-salamis-pepperonis-in-the-usa-truly-fermented%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
The short answer is yes, salumi produced in the US is a fermented product. The process is different from salumi produced in Europe, but it is still a fermented product. In the US, producers rely on rapidly lowering the pH by using fast acting starter cultures and higher curing temperatures (as high as 104 F). Whereas in Europe, a lower temperature, and drying serve to render salumi safe. The curing times are longer, and often salt and nitrites are the main additions to create a safe product. On an industrial scale, the complexities that you have discovered are all accounted for. It is not a difficult process.
At home, it is a bit of work, but can easily be accomplished. Work cleanly, follow accepted practices, keep an eye out for bad mold...otherwise, if you can create the right curing and drying conditions, you should be able to make your own without issue, though it will take a couple of attempts to get a feel for things. A good starting point for those new to home cured meat products is whole muscle curing. Try bacon, pancetta or bresola for starters.
answered Dec 2 '18 at 21:14
moscafj
23.2k13463
Thanks! What about the cheapest pre-sliced cold-cut sandwich stuff. You reckon that is also fermented?
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 21:26
1
@Behacad : yes, but like moscafj said, there are shortcuts taken to it doesn't take long to produce (and so the flavor isn't as complex as the more expensive slow fermented dried pepperoni ... but the good stuff you generally won't find in US grocery stores; you need to go to a specialty grocery or butcher shop)
– Joe
Dec 3 '18 at 1:31
add a comment |
The short answer is yes, salumi produced in the US is a fermented product. The process is different from salumi produced in Europe, but it is still a fermented product. In the US, producers rely on rapidly lowering the pH by using fast acting starter cultures and higher curing temperatures (as high as 104 F). Whereas in Europe, a lower temperature, and drying serve to render salumi safe. The curing times are longer, and often salt and nitrites are the main additions to create a safe product. On an industrial scale, the complexities that you have discovered are all accounted for. It is not a difficult process.
At home, it is a bit of work, but can easily be accomplished. Work cleanly, follow accepted practices, keep an eye out for bad mold...otherwise, if you can create the right curing and drying conditions, you should be able to make your own without issue, though it will take a couple of attempts to get a feel for things. A good starting point for those new to home cured meat products is whole muscle curing. Try bacon, pancetta or bresola for starters.
answered Dec 2 '18 at 21:14
moscafj
23.2k13463
Thanks! What about the cheapest pre-sliced cold-cut sandwich stuff. You reckon that is also fermented?
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 21:26
1
@Behacad : yes, but like moscafj said, there are shortcuts taken to it doesn't take long to produce (and so the flavor isn't as complex as the more expensive slow fermented dried pepperoni ... but the good stuff you generally won't find in US grocery stores; you need to go to a specialty grocery or butcher shop)
– Joe
Dec 3 '18 at 1:31
add a comment |
The short answer is yes, salumi produced in the US is a fermented product. The process is different from salumi produced in Europe, but it is still a fermented product. In the US, producers rely on rapidly lowering the pH by using fast acting starter cultures and higher curing temperatures (as high as 104 F). Whereas in Europe, a lower temperature, and drying serve to render salumi safe. The curing times are longer, and often salt and nitrites are the main additions to create a safe product. On an industrial scale, the complexities that you have discovered are all accounted for. It is not a difficult process.
At home, it is a bit of work, but can easily be accomplished. Work cleanly, follow accepted practices, keep an eye out for bad mold...otherwise, if you can create the right curing and drying conditions, you should be able to make your own without issue, though it will take a couple of attempts to get a feel for things. A good starting point for those new to home cured meat products is whole muscle curing. Try bacon, pancetta or bresola for starters.
answered Dec 2 '18 at 21:14
moscafj
23.2k13463
The short answer is yes, salumi produced in the US is a fermented product. The process is different from salumi produced in Europe, but it is still a fermented product. In the US, producers rely on rapidly lowering the pH by using fast acting starter cultures and higher curing temperatures (as high as 104 F). Whereas in Europe, a lower temperature, and drying serve to render salumi safe. The curing times are longer, and often salt and nitrites are the main additions to create a safe product. On an industrial scale, the complexities that you have discovered are all accounted for. It is not a difficult process.
At home, it is a bit of work, but can easily be accomplished. Work cleanly, follow accepted practices, keep an eye out for bad mold...otherwise, if you can create the right curing and drying conditions, you should be able to make your own without issue, though it will take a couple of attempts to get a feel for things. A good starting point for those new to home cured meat products is whole muscle curing. Try bacon, pancetta or bresola for starters.
answered Dec 2 '18 at 21:14
moscafj
23.2k13463
answered Dec 2 '18 at 21:14
moscafj
23.2k13463
answered Dec 2 '18 at 21:14
moscafj
23.2k13463
answered Dec 2 '18 at 21:14
moscafj
23.2k13463
23.2k13463
Thanks! What about the cheapest pre-sliced cold-cut sandwich stuff. You reckon that is also fermented?
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 21:26
1
@Behacad : yes, but like moscafj said, there are shortcuts taken to it doesn't take long to produce (and so the flavor isn't as complex as the more expensive slow fermented dried pepperoni ... but the good stuff you generally won't find in US grocery stores; you need to go to a specialty grocery or butcher shop)
– Joe
Dec 3 '18 at 1:31
add a comment |
Thanks! What about the cheapest pre-sliced cold-cut sandwich stuff. You reckon that is also fermented?
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 21:26
1
@Behacad : yes, but like moscafj said, there are shortcuts taken to it doesn't take long to produce (and so the flavor isn't as complex as the more expensive slow fermented dried pepperoni ... but the good stuff you generally won't find in US grocery stores; you need to go to a specialty grocery or butcher shop)
– Joe
Dec 3 '18 at 1:31
Thanks! What about the cheapest pre-sliced cold-cut sandwich stuff. You reckon that is also fermented?
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 21:26
Thanks! What about the cheapest pre-sliced cold-cut sandwich stuff. You reckon that is also fermented?
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 21:26
1
1
@Behacad : yes, but like moscafj said, there are shortcuts taken to it doesn't take long to produce (and so the flavor isn't as complex as the more expensive slow fermented dried pepperoni ... but the good stuff you generally won't find in US grocery stores; you need to go to a specialty grocery or butcher shop)
– Joe
Dec 3 '18 at 1:31
@Behacad : yes, but like moscafj said, there are shortcuts taken to it doesn't take long to produce (and so the flavor isn't as complex as the more expensive slow fermented dried pepperoni ... but the good stuff you generally won't find in US grocery stores; you need to go to a specialty grocery or butcher shop)
– Joe
Dec 3 '18 at 1:31
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Seasoned Advice!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Some of your past answers have not been well-received, and you're in danger of being blocked from answering.
Please pay close attention to the following guidance:
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fcooking.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f94446%2fare-salamis-pepperonis-in-the-usa-truly-fermented%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
3
If you make it your business to sell these commercially, you solve the problems. Otherwise, all our distilled spirits would contain methanol... fermentation is not that hard, I think.
– James McLeod
Dec 2 '18 at 19:31
No it's not that hard I suppose, but it's also not that hard to make many things that big companies cheap out on because they can. Rye bread is rarely rye bread, ice cream has very little cream if any quite often, etc.
– Behacad
Dec 2 '18 at 19:52