Making Salami at Borgata Malpertus #1

BORGATA MALPERTUS

Making Salami at Malpertus

This year we (I mean Sam) are making salami with our friends here in the Borgata. We have done this once before but this time Sam made a hotter Calabrese salami rather than the milder Piemontese one.

This is our neighbor Claudio and his son, although Sam was hard at work he was also taking the photos so he isn’t in any of them.

Making salami is such a traditional part of Italian life, the first time I was invited to join in was in Australia when I was dating Sam. We spent the day at his Uncles house along with all the cousins and extended family, it felt like a scene from the movie ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’.

Afterwards we had a huge feast, at a table that seemed to go on forever. As a suburburn girl from the other side of the city I was in shock. I had entered another country, where everyone spoke in Italian, drank vino, and ate and ate and ate.

Our life together has always felt a bit this way, my Australian life and my Italian life. They very rarely overlap. Two worlds that have their own traditions, set of ‘rules’ and lifestyles. Living here in the Borgata brings this home so sharply, and being invited to make the salami is a great honor and one I treasure.

I hope you enjoy some of the photos that Sam took during the weeks making salami. If you have any questions let me know below, I did ask him to write this post but I think with some encouragement from you he’ll add his voice. He just loves to cook, and has been bottling up peppers the last few days.

Please know I’ll be updating this post with further photos and recipies. I’m just coming good after being really unwell for weeks. The video is on YouTube and if you are not squirmish you can view it here (warning could upset some viewers).

Sadly I totally missed making salami, but know that we now have 104kg of salami hanging in the kids room in the main house. They are being tended lovingly each day and the cotechino are in the freezer.

So go ahead ask away…….any questions??

Save

and the gang x

22 replies

Michele says:
at

So I forgot the name of that very hot Sicilian sausage/salami we had while I was there. It was powerful and I remember us scrapping the wrapping. Is this Sam’s own version? And what was it called again?
Reply
- Lisa Chiodo says:
  at
  
  the Very hot Salami was Nindja but that’s from Calabria not Sicilia..
  Reply
Krista says:
at

I love this so much, Lisa. 🙂 It’s my dream to make my own salami. I’m working my way up from prosciutto and sausages, but I think it will be a while before I get close to salami. 🙂 And YES!!! Sam, I’d love to hear your take on your adventures. 🙂
Reply
- Lisa Chiodo says:
  at
  
  I keep telling Sam to do a post but he isn’t keen, he’s better talking so maybe I’ll do a video instead. xx
  Reply
Carmela says:
at

I live in Toronto Canada and we have been making salami for years! I love your pictures and hope you feel better soon. By the way there are a lot of Italian immigrants here and we try to follow the old traditions and customs!
Reply
- Lisa Chiodo says:
  at
  
  I grew up in Melbourne luckily with many immigrants from all over the world so we were spoiled for food choices. Feeling much better and yes I love the old traditions as well, I wish I spoke fluent Italian so I could ask more about the life here. x
  Reply
Melanie Murrish says:
at

I hope you are on the mend Lisa and what fabulous photos……I somehow don’t think this tradition of making salami would go down to well in suburban northeast England! My husband used to be a butcher-he would love this.xx
Reply
- Lisa Chiodo says:
  at
  
  Yes feeling much better Melanie and I could just imagine the neighbors if you did this. The butcher in our village has a slow food accreditation and butchers on the premisis and then sells in the store at the front. I have many more photos but they are quite graphic so I haven’t shared them here. I’ll share them soon, our internet has been playing up and I can’t get online very often. xx
  Reply
Heather says:
at

Thank you so much Lisa for sharing your beautiful pictures and life with your family in Italy. I enjoy reading all of your writings and “daydream” about living in Italy. Much love!
Reply
Libby Willis says:
at

Thankyou for sharing your life at the Borgata – you are living your dream, which is something that I hope to do in the future. Ciao x
Reply
- Lisa Chiodo says:
  at
  
  Ciao Libby, what would be your dream life? We are slowly creating ours here in the Valley and it’s been worth everything we’ve gone through to get here. xxx ciao ciao lisa
  Reply
Joy Orr says:
at

Golly I love your news Lisa,Sam and kids.Fabulous photos and looking forward to more.Much Love from New Zealand. Ciao Joy
Reply
- Lisa Chiodo says:
  at
  
  Hey thanks Joy, sorry I’ve been a bit slack with posting here at the blog, I’ve been putting together the Borgata Malpertus site and also a personal one. Ciao ciao to New Zealand, hope to see it one day x
  Reply
  - Joy Orr says:
    at
    
    Thanks for your lovely answer Lisa.New Zealand is having a very hot summer this year unlike your snow!!Take care and keep the news coming.Much love Joy
    Reply
Caterina B says:
at

Where is Sam? He must have been the photographer. Those salami are huge!
Reply
- Lisa Chiodo says:
  at
  
  Oh believe me Caterina, Sam spent two weeks down with the boys cutting up all the meat, three different groups made salami and they all helped each other. He was down there all day and late into the night. It’s a mammoth job so the entire community joins in. He trained in photography and the other men don’t understand what all the fuss is about, next time I’ll get Sam to have some photos taken of him doing the work lol xxx
  Reply
Wynne says:
at

I’ll bet it smells wonderful!
Reply
- Lisa Chiodo says:
  at
  
  Hmmmmmm well it didn’t smell great when he put it up in the kids room, the whole house stunk of salami. I’m going to have to wash everything before we move back into the main house. Still it’s worth it, the salami is fantastic!!!!
  Reply
Anne says:
at

Glad to read you are on the road to recovery Lisa. How great that this great tradition is being kept up, I would love to try your Salami one day. Look forward to reading more about your life in the Borgata. x Take care x
Reply
- Lisa Chiodo says:
  at
  
  Our part of Italy is alive with tradition Anne, I think it will stay this way for some time and the children here follow the family. Even in Australia most Italians (older generation) still make the salami, and the sauce. You better get here one day for that vino and we’ll save you some salami xxxx
  Reply
Sandra Sarlinga says:
at

Lisa and Sam, than you for sharing your stories, makes me feel I am there with you! So looking forward for the recipes, if it is not to much to ask, both recipes Calabrese and Piemontese!
Love,
Sandra (from the other Piemonte Farm) North Carolina, USA
Reply
- Lisa Chiodo says:
  at
  
  Oh Ciao Sandra, I was just looking at your cheese post it looks fantastic. I’ll get Sam to put in both recipies for you. Love that we have this “Piemonte’ link lol xx
  much love lisa
  Reply