Finocchiona Salami

Made out of coarsely chopped pork meat, this fennel flavored dry sausage is a legendary piece of Italian charcuterie – literally, there’s a legend that says that it was accidentally discovered when a naughty peasant boy ran into a field of fennel to savor a salami he had just stolen. The more likely – if less poetic – explanation, is that fennel was incorporated to the recipe to make give added flavor to the dry sausage and make it stretch longer. Whatever the origins, Finocchiona is a Tuscan dry cured salami that we love for its strong flavor and its balance of salt, fennel and creamy pork.

Creminelli uses a natural beef casing, which you should remove before eating – simply score with a knife lengthwise and peel back. Serve Finocchiona salami as part of an antipasto or cheese platter, letting that bold, herbaceous flavor shine. This is not the salame for creamy cheeses, but rather strong, intense partners like Pecorino Toscano or an aged cheddar. A glass of hearty, bodacious red wine will be perfectly suited as well.

Creminelli Fine Meats is an Italian-American company helmed by master artisan Cristiano Creminelli, a charcuterie expert with generations of fine Italian charcuterie-making hind him. The company uses animals that are raised in open pens, and never given any antibiotics, so you can buy this fine Finocchiona salami online from Gourmet Food World knowing are getting a natural, delicious product. Their love of their craft and the decades of tradition behind it are apparent in every bite of each of their delicious artisan specialties.