There will always be a lively debate about which combination of ingredients is the best for a sub, but most people can agree that salami belongs in the mix. Any “restaurant near me” that offers an Italian sub will usually include salami as an option. A good sub is one of our many passions here at Jasmine’s Roast Beef, and with National Salami Day coming up on September 7, what better time to explore the history of one of our favorite cured meats?
Anything as delicious as salami deserves its own day, so it’s only right that we learn where it comes from.
Why is it called salami?
Being an Italian food, it’s no surprise that salami gets its name from Italian vocabulary. In Italian, sale means “salt,” and the ending –ame indicates a collective noun, meaning a group of things. Put those together, and you get salame, and our word “salami” is the plural. This is a complicated way of saying that originally salami meant any cured or fermented meat. In time, that would change so that the name salami only referred to the most common method. That method is what we know as salami today: salted and spiced meat ground and put in an organic casing that is left to ferment and dry.
How long has it been around?
In one form or another, preserved meat has been around for thousands of years. Before the invention of refrigeration, people needed a way to keep their food from going bad. Fermentation was often used. During this process, beneficial or benign organisms grow in food and keep bad organisms that cause food to spoil from growing. People have been using this method of food preservation since ancient times, especially in the Mediterranean and southern Europe because the long, dry, sunny days make for ideal conditions.
When did it come to America?
Salami in the Italian sub is a product of Italian-American cuisine perfected by the Italian immigrants of the 19th century. Millions of Italians came to America, and with them came their food and traditions. As they shared their food with their fellow immigrants, they discovered new ways to eat their traditional foods, and the classic Italian-American food that we know and love today was born.
Restaurant Near Me: Jasmine’s Roast Beef
If you’re looking for a great “restaurant near me,” look no further than Jasmine’s Roast Beef! We have something for everyone on our menu, including sandwiches that will satisfy your craving for salami. From sandwiches to seafood to pizza, we have it all.
