# Speak to me of salami **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 21, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479 "2013-11-21T22:44:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/1 "2013-11-21T22:44:00Z")
What do you like? What should I try? I really like Oscar Meyer hard salami…I think I should branch out. (I remember when a package of it was 99 cents, and my first husband and I were too broke to afford it.) What cheese(es) do you eat with what. And include sandwich combos, too, please. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/2 "2013-11-21T23:17:57Z")
I’m assuming you’ve had pepperoni. Trivia note: Pepperoni - like chimichangas, vichyssoise, and General Tso’s chicken - was actually created in America. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/3 "2013-11-21T23:53:59Z")
I’ve had it on pizza. I see lots of different kinds at the gourmet grocery store. Don’t know where to start. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/4 "2013-11-22T00:13:18Z")
Start with Columbus brand dry salamis. Good intro stuff. Or Boars Head. Then find a store with a decent deli case and sample. Have the guy give you a few slices of everything they have and start tasting. Diced salami in scrambled eggs is a standard. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/5 "2013-11-22T01:29:52Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > What do you like? What should I try? > > I really like Oscar Meyer hard salami…I think I should branch out. (I remember when a package of it was 99 cents, and my first husband and I were too broke to afford it.) > > What cheese(es) do you eat with what. And include sandwich combos, too, please. You need to try sweet Soppresata, and spicy Capicolla -both are variants from salami and pepperoni and when done well, oh so tasty… ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/6 "2013-11-22T02:32:21Z")
We usually buy Columbus brand. In addition to eating it in sandwiches and on pizza, I like to smear some cream cheese on a slice and roll it up and eat it for snack. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/7 "2013-11-22T02:33:16Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Start with Columbus brand dry salamis. Good intro stuff. Or Boars Head. Then find a store with a decent deli case and sample. Have the guy give you a few slices of everything they have and start tasting. > > Diced salami in scrambled eggs is a standard. > [@WordMan](#): > > You need to try sweet Soppresata, and spicy Capicolla -both are variants from salami and pepperoni and when done well, oh so tasty… All-right! I see some serious snacking (excuse the alliteration) coming up in my weekend. Do I need crackers, cheese, beer to sample these noms? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/8 "2013-11-22T02:39:05Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > . . . and spicy Capicolla Also known as “gabagool” in the Napolitan dialect. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/9 "2013-11-22T03:24:29Z")
Columbus Salame Toscano is kicking my butt lately. It’s all pork, mildly spiced, with those big white spots of lard and the peppercorns. Great on a little pane rustico, or just pop it with squares of cheese…yum. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/10 "2013-11-22T03:39:06Z")
Around here, we love Volpi Salami. It’s delicious. We get it sliced paper thin. It’s available year-round, but we limit ourselves to getting a few pounds to last through Christmas, and New Year’s Eve/Day. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/11 "2013-11-22T03:50:31Z")
> [@nonacetone](#): > > Around here, we love Volpi Salami. > It’s delicious. We get it sliced paper thin. It’s available year-round, but we limit ourselves to getting a few pounds to last through Christmas, and New Year’s Eve/Day. On the [Volpi site](http://www.volpifoods.com/products/salami/) I see different kinds. Which is your favorite? ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/12 "2013-11-22T03:55:48Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > On the [Volpi site](http://www.volpifoods.com/products/salami/) I see different kinds. Which is your favorite? We always get the Volpi Genova. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it is. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/13 "2013-11-22T03:57:12Z")
Eek. [Five Volpi salamis for $30](http://www.amazon.com/Volpi-Cinque-Salami-Bundle/dp/B00501TH9O/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1385092402&sr=1-1&keywords=salami) ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/14 "2013-11-22T04:04:08Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Eek. [Five Volpi salamis for $30](http://www.amazon.com/Volpi-Cinque-Salami-Bundle/dp/B00501TH9O/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1385092402&sr=1-1&keywords=salami) That’s a nice, little sampler, but I’m not at all fond of the wine-infused salami. It just tastes all wrong to me. I’ll stick with any of the others, but my favorite will always be the Genova. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/15 "2013-11-22T06:26:22Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > You need to try sweet Soppresata, and spicy Capicolla -both are variants from salami and pepperoni and when done well, oh so tasty… This - though we used to get sweet medium and hot soppressata. We prefer [Fortuna’s](http://www.fortunasausage.com/category_s/65.htm)sopressata, I don’t work with them, just like their product. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/16 "2013-11-22T08:14:08Z")
Hungarian salami is my favorite - has a bit of a kick, slice it thin - very thin - and it has tons of flavor to boot! Used to be fairly easy to find, but have noticed it is not as easy to find anymore. Wonder why? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/17 "2013-11-22T08:33:13Z")
The site of a naval battle fought between a coalition of Greek city-states and the Persian empire in 480 B.C., immediately following the famous last stand of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Greek navy won a decisive victory, forcing the Persian king Xerxes to return home with his army and abandon his invasion of Greece. Oh, wait, I’m sorry, that’s [Salamis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Salamis). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/18 "2013-11-22T13:00:17Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I’ve had it on pizza. > > I see lots of different kinds at the gourmet grocery store. Don’t know where to start. As silenus posted, pepperoni (and other salamis) are great fried up with eggs. In my opinion, you really need to cook pepperoni. Eaten at room temperature, it tastes too greasy. On suggestions others have made, I agree capicolla and soppresata are great. Now if you’d like to try something non-Italian, you could get some kielbasa, which is a Polish sausage with garlic. (It’s technically not a salami but it’s close enough.) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/19 "2013-11-22T13:28:49Z")
I have so much to learn about salamis and Salamis… I love kielbasa and have tried different brands. (Slovak background.) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479/20 "2013-11-22T15:18:28Z")
You might like finocchiona as well- it’s a variant on Tuscan salami seasoned with fennel, black pepper and garlic. While on the subject of salumi, Mortadella is like the bologna they serve in Heaven. Great stuff, even if it does look like bologna with stuff in it. Well worth a try. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speak-to-me-of-salami/674479.md?page=2)