A whole new world has opened up over the past few months while working with Lorenza Pasetti and the staff at Volpi Foods.  One of the first tasks at hand would be to bring new focus and development to the world of ‘hand-crafted’ salami in regards to current and new flavor profiles being made at Volpi Foods.  Easily forgotten, however extremely important to the process itself, the flavor profile and final product are the casings used in production.  Having a general knowledge of the various salame casings, I thought no better time to really gain a full understanding of the history and evolution behind this raw material.  A few of the important facts I’ve learned…..

Today’s marketplace you can find numerous types of casing which include: Natural, Collagen, Plastic and Cellulose.  My focus centered on natural and collagen casings that are being used at Volpi Foods.

Natural casings while not pinpointed as to an exact date in history were used for sausage production and are considered to be the oldest form of processed meats. Natural casings are produced from different sections of the intestinal tract; their origins can be from beef, sheep or hog.  The style and size of salami will determine the specific type of natural casing to be used in production.

The benefit of the natural casing is what really hits home for the traditional salumi maker, or salumieri.  The variable permeability of the natural casing allows the salame to ‘breath,’ which contributes to ideal mold growth and processing changes necessary  for depth of aroma and flavor profile.  A distinctive ‘snap’ in the texture or bite is a trademark of finished product made with natural casings.  A strong visual appearance of being ‘hand-crafted’ is certainly recognizable by using natural casing.

Collagen casings have their origins traced back to late 1920’s, a time of new and explosive growth in our population and technology.  It was purely to answer the issue of supply and demand why the collagen casing was created.  Another step forward came in 1960’s, when edible collagen casing became available and allowed for possessing uniformity and ability for mass production.  Now producers could count on a predictable raw material, consistency in processing and better control of their finished goods.

The collagen casing is derived from an involved manufacturing process that utilizes the middle corium layer found in cattle hides.  The captured collagen, which is an edible protein, is manipulated and then extruded into a uniform, high quality, thin walled casing.  A few of the advantages for salumi producers; uniform size and consistency, strength and elasticity, ease of handling and will allow penetration of smoke and moisture in processing.

As with the many aspects found in life, pros and cons exist for just about everything as I’ve further discovered in this world of salami production.  Is there a right or wrong to which path is taken, I don’t believe so.  I believe it’s the salumieri themselves, their passion, traditions and stories that really make the difference.