''Soppressata'' is a ''

salume (: , ) are Italian meat products typical of an antipasto, predominantly made from pork and cured. They also include bresaola, which is made from beef, and some cooked products, such as mortadella. The word , 'salted meat', derives from ...

''. Although there are many variations, two principal types are made: a cured dry sausage typical of

Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

, and

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

, and a very different uncured salami made in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

and

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

. It is still part of southern Italian

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...

that local people (especially in the smaller rural towns) slaughter the pig themselves and use it all, with nothing going to waste, using some parts to make cured meats, including ''soppressata''. It is sometimes prepared using

prosciutto Prosciutto ( ; ), also known as ''prosciutto crudo'', is an uncooked, unsmoked, and dry-cured ham. It is usually served thinly sliced. Several regions in Italy have their own variations of ''prosciutto crudo'', each with degrees of protected ...

Preparation

File:Soppresata3.JPG, Grinding the meat File:Soppresata2.JPG, Preparing the meat for seasoning File:Soppresata1.JPG, Seasoning the meat before casing

Varieties

''Soppressata di

'' is mainly produced in

Rivello Rivello (''Rëviell'' in Lucanian Dialect, the rivellese dialect) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. The population was 2,515 as of March 2024. Geography Territory The town sit ...

, Cancellara,

Vaglio Vaglio is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. In 2001 the municipality was merged with the neighboring municipalities of Cagiallo, Lopagno, Roveredo, Ticino, Roveredo, Sala Capriasca, and Tesserete to form a new ...

, and Lagonegro. ''Soppressata di Calabria'' enjoys

protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...

(PDO) status; the one produced in Acri and Decollatura is especially renowned. ''Soppressata di Puglia'' from

Martina Franca Martina Franca, or just Martina (Bari dialect, Martinese: ), is a town and ''comune, municipality'' in the province of Taranto, Apulia, Italy. It is the second most populated town of the province after Taranto, and has a population (2016) of ...

is also very well-known. ''Soppressata toscana'', from

, is made from the leftover parts of the pig. First, the head is boiled for a few hours. When it is done, it is picked of meat and skin. All of the meat and skin, including the tongue, are chopped, seasoned, and then stuffed into a large casing. The cooking liquid is poured in to cover the mixture and it is then hung and the cooking liquid (high in

gelatin Gelatin or gelatine () is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also be referred to as hydrolyzed collagen, coll ...

) thickens to bind everything together. It is similar to the English brawn, Polish salceson, and German '' Presskopf'' (Austrian ''Presswurst''). ''Sopressa veneta'' (or just ''sopressa'') got its name from the practice of pressing the salami between planks of wood resulting in a straight, flattened shape. It is a typical product of the

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

region. ''Sopressa'' is a ''salume'', typical of the Venetian culinary tradition and for this reason there are various types, such as ''sopressa trevigiana''; ''sopressa vicentina'', produced in the

province of Vicenza The province of Vicenza (; ) is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital city is Vicenza. The province has an area of 2,722.53 km2, and a total population of 865,082 (as of 2017). There are 113 ''comuni'' (municipalities) in th ...

, has been awarded the

protected geographical status Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect na ...

by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. In order to protect ''sopressa vicentina'' from easy counterfeiting and for greater

consumer protection Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

, ''Consorzio di Tutela della Soprèssa Vicentina DOP'' has emerged, which brings together 4 local producers scattered around Vicenza. The northern Italian version from

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...

, in Veneto, did away with the pressed shape and has become an international favorite.

References

{{Salami Italian sausages Fermented sausages Salumi

Preparation

Varieties

See also

References