Today's focus is yet another happy accident. I was looking for some pepperoni at my local grocery, when I saw packages of something called, "soppressata." Obviously I bought some and brought it home. I got the "sweet soppressata" from Fratelli Beretta USA, Inc., which in turn is the American affiliate of the Italian Salumificio Fratelli Beretta SPA company.
Soppressata is a traditional meat made in Southern Italy. Officially it's a dry salami. There are two main types of it--a cured kind, and an uncured one. There are also some variations about which cuts of pork are used to make it. Sometime it's fine cuts from the shoulder, or loin, or from ham. For others it's kind of like sausage or hot dogs, and created using lower quality, fatty scraps. The name for this meat is taken from the Italian word "soppressare," which means "to press, to tighten, and to suppress." That's because soppressata is traditionally pressed between weights for two days, before it's hung up to dry and age for 2-6 months. It also tends to be spicier than most salamis. These spices can also vary, but some common ones are salt, chili peppers, cinnamon, rosemary, black and red pepper, garlic, and even wine. It's then consumed in sandwiches, as a pizza topping, as part of a charcuterie board, or on focaccia (an Italian bread).
Online information about Salumificio Fratelli Beretta SPA was quite limited. The business was started in 1812, in the Italian community of Barzano. Given the name, and the fact that later owners are referred to as having the surname "Beretta," I assume the founder(s) were also surnamed Beretta. And since "fratelli" means "brothers" in Italian, presumably it was at least 2 Berettas who started the company. The business was local for over a century, only starting to ship its products throughout all of Italy in 1921-60. The first American facility was in 1997 (New Jersey), and then in 2007 (California). Aside from soppressata other products offered include salami, prosciutto, coppa & bresaola, antipasto, and mortadella, or basically, a slew of cured meats.
Fratelli Beretta sweet soppressata: The pieces looked a lot like pepperoni, or salami--primarily red in color, with little white specks visible. The pieces were pre-sliced into round discs, very thin. (Which was different than what I'd heard about this meat, or seen in some online photos, which were the slightly flattened, oblong shape instead of being round.) Plain the pieces were good. On a roll with Swiss cheese and ranch dressing was better, very tasty. Chewy and rich. The slightly sweet and spicy meat pairs well with the roll, cheese, and dressing. I would definitely recommend this. I've already bought a couple more packs of it, and it's becoming a staple of mine. If you like pepperoni and/or salami you'll probably like soppressata--they're not identical, but fairly similar.
It only hit me later, when I looked up where in Italy that Barzano is, that I realized that Italian cured meat purists, if there are any (and the absurdist in me hopes so), might question my soppressata's authenticity. Since soppressata is a tradition in Southern Italy, and Barzano is well in the northern part of the country. This is kind of a moot point anyway, since mine was prepared here in New Jersey, and not in Italy (either North or South), but just throwing it out there. It's close enough to count for me, because it's surely based on traditional Italian recipes and production methods, but to be a completist I suppose I would try Southern Italian-made soppressata if I encounter it, and compare.
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