Spread the Love of Real ‘Nduja

Posted on by Matthew C. Reilly

Whether lovingly schmeared across golden crostini, or spooned into a sizzling pan to lay the foundation for any number of southern Italian pasta sauces, there is little doubt that if served outside its native Calabria, the unique spreadable salami evokes curiosity, and sometimes controversy.

Historically, ‘nduja was produced by peasants from the leftover parts of a recently slaughtered hog, after the prized market cuts had been first offered to the ruling classes. Today, in the area of Spilinga in Calabria, they specialize in the craft of ‘nduja. Similar to many traditional pork salami, ‘nduja has been improved by only using whole muscle cuts like jowl, belly, and shoulder. About a decade ago, American producers of cured meat became aware of this esoteric southern Italian specialty, and started to create and market their own interpretations.  Unfortunately, without a true understanding of how it is produced, these products bore very little resemblance to authentic ‘nduja. There were, and still exist, many versions that take advantage of the increasing promotional value of the term ‘nduja, but are made by using the trim from already cured meat and pureeing them into a ready to eat paste, and others which go a step further and actually mix old and waste pieces of spicy salami which after being pureed, are mixed with acid, tomatoes, and sugar; aka: ketchup!

Map of Calabria esp Spilinga

About 50 years ago, Agostino Fiasche left his homeland of Spilinga, and emigrated to America. Bringing with him his family’s traditions of hospitality, and food production, by the mid 80s he and his wife opened Agostino’s Ristorante Gustafino in Chicago.  Among many of the traditional foods that Agostino and his family continued to produce was ‘nduja. The craft of butchery and salumi production has always been a valued part of the Calabrian heritage, and many Calabrian immigrant families in America still gather together once a year to make the traditional products of their home region, like salssicia (dry sausage), soppressata, capicola, and in the case of the Fiasches, ‘nduja. For this reason, it is extremely rare that any family from south of Tuscany would consider making artisan salumi for the wholesale market.  Actually, other than the Fiasche family, who started “Nduja Artisan” (now “Tempesta Artisan Salumi”) in 2012, there are none. Since Calabrians have their own homemade supply enough for their family for the year, why sell it? As for the purchase of salumi produced by northern Italians, available for purchase, why buy it when you know how to make it better?

3 Generations of Salumiere Fiasche
 

                                        Three Generations of ‘Nduja Artisans…                                (from left Agostino Fiasche, his father, Antonio Fiasche Sr. and Agostino’s son, Antonio ”Tony” Fiasche)

 

‘Nduja is a simple recipe, and is made like any other fermented and dry cured spicy salami.  Fresh pork muscle and fat are ground together, mixed with a puree of chilies for the desired amount of heat, seasoned with salt, stuffed into casings and allowed to ferment.  Finally, depending on the diameter of the casing, the ‘nduja salami are slowly dried over a period of weeks to upwards of 6 months or more.  Like any other salami, this drying or aging period draws out moisture so that it is eventually safe to store without refrigeration. After this aging period, most salami become hard, are able to hold shape and can be sliced thinly. On the other hand, because of higher fat content, plus the softening effect that Calabrian chilies have on fat, even once the proper amount of moisture has been removed, ‘nduja will remain soft. Any additional drying will intensify the flavor, but it will never become firm.

nduja-in-orba ND009 (small)
Traditional ‘Nduja “Orba”

 

In 2012, after tasting the ‘nduja-like products available by American salumi producers, Agostino and his son, Antonio decided it was important to present an authentic ‘nduja to the American market.  The father and son team felt obliged to honor their family’s heritage by starting a salumeria focused on making the real ‘nduja. In Agostino’s words, “‘Nduja is a salami. It’s made from only three ingredients: fresh pork, Calabrian chilies, and sea salt.  If it has anything else, or is made any other way, it cannot be ‘nduja!” Initially named “Nduja Artisans”, by 2019, after much praise and awards had been bestowed on many other products in their extensive line of salumi, including back to back sofi gold wins for finocchiona and culatello, as well as a bronze win for Wagyu Bresaola, the family decided to change the company name to “Tempesta Artisan Salumi”. Nduja is still at the heart of the company, though, and being their top seller, will likely always be their flagship product.

 

Screenshot 2019-11-02 at 16.01.37
Grandfather and Grandson Fiasche producing Prosciutto di Parma DOP

Centered on their original mission to bring the genuine experience of this unique Fiasche family tradition to the national audience, they start with fresh whole muscle cuts, not scraps of cured meat, no off cuts, no organs, and still only the best heritage pork they can buy. Considering the chilies, they tone down the heat a bit. Unlike the version that Agostino’s father, Antonio Sr still makes at 84 in his home in Spilinga, which will light your mouth on fire, the ‘nduja produced by Tempesta Artisan Salumi is still spicy, but not quite as hot as Calabrians may be familiar with. It is hot, but balanced, so you won’t be reaching for a glass of water right away, and it will not interfere with other flavors on your plate.

Tempesta makes a 6 ounce “grab-and-go” sized retail package, one-pound units for foodservice, aged for about a month, and also produces the traditional “Orba” which takes a few months to age because it is encased in the tradition hog middle cap casing. This is the product you are likely to recognize hanging from the ceiling from every salumeria in Spilinga. The “Orba” can weigh anywhere from three to seven pounds, and even some custom ‘nduja which are aged in a stitched natural casing and can weigh more than 40 pounds!

The exact origins of Nduja are still a mystery, though there are a few theories regarding early production and where the name ‘nduja came from…

  • The name Nduja may be derived from the word “Enduille”, and conveyed that way during the initial French occupations of Calabria
  • Salam d’la Duja, “la duja” or “la doha” from the Piemontese dialect for clay pot where salami is initially dried, then preserved under fat in a basin or vase. This is another rare use of the letter “J” in the Italian language. The letter “J” is not generally considered part of the Italian alphabet, and may have contributed to the unique spelling of ‘nduja.
  • The Spanish tradition for preserving meat like salami, was in Calabria since before the time of Columbus, through the end of the Arogonian periods leading up to the rule of the rule of the Bourbons. The Spanish introduced chilies to all of Europe and Asia following their discovery in the New World in the late 15th The Spanish were also curing meats throughout their history, though the spreadable version of spiced salami, Sobrasada (from Majorca) may or may not have preceded Nduja, and it is certainly possible that they are linked due to trade amongst all those under Aragon rule, which started in the early 11th century in Majorca, and the 15th Century in Calabria.  This led to the subsequent rule by the French Bourbons of both regions.

So, it seems likely there was an evolution of spreadable salami over time, with chilies of course being introduced to both areas around the same time, and may certainly have come after a tradition of preserving meat was already established.

If the first question posed by someone encountering ‘nduja for the first time is “What is that?”, typically, the next question is, “How do you use it?”  The fact that ‘nduja is a particularly regional product, often causes people to think it is only useful in exclusively Calabrian cuisine. Whereas, due to its uniquely spreadable texture, and the exclusive use of Calabrian chilies as seasoning, ‘nduja is actually much more versatile than any other salami. The soft texture allows ‘nduja to be incorporated into any liquid without any need for a knife, as you would have to chop a typical hard salami.  Also, the deep flavors developed during the curing time, means that adding the product last minute to any dish will create the illusion that the spiciness was cooked into the dish from the beginning. Chefs who understand this will quickly replace the red pepper flakes on their dining room tables with a small jar of Nduja mixed with oil to a pourable texture guests can easily mix into their dish for a deep, robust spiciness. There is a plethora of chilies produced around the world, and often the intensity, depth of burn, and particular flavor profile is associated exclusively with the given region’s cuisine.  Calabrian chilies, however connected with the particular flavors of Calabrian gastronomy, can be used in cuisines around the world without changing the inherent ethnicity of a dish. The heat of a spicy Calabrian chili falls squarely balanced on the palate, and though will build a slow burn, has a distinctive sizzle when it first touches the tongue. ‘Nduja has become popular in Japanese restaurants, as an accompaniment to ramen or brushed on sashimi, used as an alternative seasoning in picadillo for empanada filling, used as a marinade for meat or vegetables, and can be formed around a scotch egg before frying.  ‘Nduja Pannacotta is a top selling gelato served at Tempesta Market, the Fiasche’s deli in Chicago. Who thought meat could be used as a marinade, let alone salami for dessert?

nduja scotch egg
Scotch Egg made with ’Nduja

Keeping it real, didn’t we always suspect that there must be spreadable salami out there?  After all, why would anyone use the term hard salami, without at least subconsciously recognizing the existence of soft salami???

To Know Our Food Is To Know Ourselves

Posted on by Matthew C. Reilly

This is Rodrigo Duarte. Rodrigo Duarte slaughtered his first pig at age 8 in his hometown in Portugal. He was raised a student of butchery, and when he moved to New Jersey, he practiced his craft carefully, focused on refining and redifining his cultural identity.

The Ironbound section in the city of Newark, where Rodrigo now has a home, store, butchery school and roasting kitchen/smokehouse, is the center of Portuguese Culture in the New York Metropolitan area. Many North Jersey-ans, myself included, make a visit to this area once or twice in their life to enjoy the great seafood restaurants steeped in this relatively unknown culture. Millions more pass through the Ironbound everday via Newark Penn Station, on their way to work in NYC, oblivious to the slice of Iberia that exists only steps from the drudgery of their daily commute. Rodrigo also has a commute.

Everyday, Rodrigo wakes up (much earlier than could seem reasonably humane) walks out the door of his home, and walks half a block down to Pacific Ave to begin his day at his market “Caseiro e Bom”. At first entry, “Caseiro e Bom” appears similar to most latin markets. It has fresh papaya, onions, garlic, canned goods, big bags of rice, and a register counter- pretty typical stuff. As you walk halfway through the store, you become transported. First, a stack of dried cod, next you notice hams hanging from the ceiling as the smell of curing pork, smoke and paprika wafts into your nose. Then something special appears. Behind a pane of glass, prominently, yet practically displayed on two custom stands (designed by Rodrigo himself) are two of the most perfectly beautiful legs of pork you have ever laid eyes on. Also prominently, yet practically displayed on the glass is the price, “3 Year Aged Presunto $399.00 per pound”. This may seem steep, but to be fair, of the two presunto displayed, one is a younger and smoked version which Rodrigo sells for $7 per pound. Rodrigo will tell you that supply is what drives his pricing.
Rodrigo recently won the best ham in America at the Charcuterie Masters Competition for his 3 year Alentejano breed presunto, and he has only 3 left in his inventory. I can tell you that he is more than happy to sample you a taste of his smoked presunto and at $7/lb its a steal. It also shows off his unmatched skill in butchery. The legs dry perfectly evenly, the line between skin and flesh disapears, and the whole ham, super smooth from toe to hip joint, devoid of any cut marks, and a perfectly even amber color is consistent up, down and around the leg. Then he slices a piece for you. It reminds you of speck, but smoother in texture, lighter in color, and nutty-sweet, not salty. This may be the best bargain in artisanal cured meats you will ever come across. Looking into his refrigerated display, first there is morcela (morcilla in Spain, or blood sausage to most Americans), then some dried salame, then you see something that looks like kielbasa, but is labelled Alhiera. What the heck is Alhiera? Well, Rodrigo is more than happy to tell you the story of this 600 year portuguese tradition, started by Portuguese Jews during the inquisition, who could fool thier would be persecutors by proudly opening their doors proclaiming, ” We are butchers making sausage. Jews can’t eat pork. How could we be Jews?” Little did the inquisidores realize that inside those lamb, goat or cattle casings was cooked chicken and bread! This was a sausage that saved a culture. A culture Rodrigon is proud to call his own. You see Rodrigo is very proud of every aspect of his culture, noting his own jewish ancestry, and the fact that if not for this sausage, he may never have been born. Looking above, you see rows of shoulder “Salpicao”, then dried salsicha, slabs of pork jowl and more… long thin dried sausages along with presunto galore, just dangling thick above your head. Ahead you see one of his protégé trimming a secreto, in front of a window displaying pork carcasses, slaughtered to his exacting specifications, on a farm less than 20 miles away where these pigs were raised on forage and free range, again to Rodrigo’s personal standard. He is content to show you that this pig cannot be used for ham because the knufe slipped when the bung was removed and grazed what amounts to a paper cut into the muscle. In the kitchen, this is called finesse, paying attention to the smallest details, always to serve the product better. He brings you into the basement, and you see two chambers filled with presunto hanging in the traditional fashion: Toes up, each hock tied to a loop, each loop draped oved the knots evenly spaced on at least 50 ropes in the ceiling. The light is ultra violet. Each chamber has a double door system to minimize foreign flora. You walk back upstairs, but it doesnt feel like you are in Newark anymore.
The Alentejano is a black iberian hog breed. We may have heard of the famous spanish “pate negra” or “jamon iberico”. Many will tell you this is the pinnacle of pork for curing. The enthusiasts will say that the pinnacle is acheived with “Jamon Ibeeico de Bellota”, which indicates hogs that were finished on a diet of acorns (“bellota”). Then, in your travels you find one or two ham connoisuers who have been to southern portugal. They will tell you that this is where the highest arts and craft of pork transformation is practiced. The key that many of them dont even realize, but of which Rodrigo will enthusiastically inform you, is that the Alentejano breed makes all the difference. Like many important cultural products,the Alentajano is protected by the Portuguese government. Unlike many cultural products, the rules for the protection of this breed are very strict. I mean zero tolerance strict, leaving no room for compromise. As an example, take Jamon de Iberico. The spanish government says that as long as that pig’s mother has 25% sud mediteraneo blood, you can call this Jamon de Iberico.

What is “sus-mediterraneus”?

Sus-mediteraneus is the umbrella term for the black pigs of southern europe surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. These are the cousins of the Sus Scrofa (wild boar) or the descendants of ancient domesticated european wild boars. The muscle structure and intelligence of these pigs, making them choosy in diet and lends their meat best for long curing. The most critical piece to the puzzle being IMF. or inter-muscular fat. IMF is the river system through which flavor travels into the meat. The deeper into the muscle, the more flavorful the cured product is. IMF has the added benefit of coating the muscle fibers to keep the lean portions supple throughout the drying process. If the pig was fed a delicious diet, in the last few months at least, the more IMF, the better. If it was not fed a tasty diet, especially in the last few months, the IMF still plays river, but more like a river polluted with garbage. But, I digress.

Here is how Rodrigo describes the history of the Alentejano breed’s native land, which we believe produces the best meat for curing, in particular “Presunto”:

“…In 27 A.D., the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula was divided into two different areas, Baetica and Lusitania. Little by little, the Mediterranean groves gave rise to Cork oak and Holm oak forests – <<Montado>>….”

These were the lands where over the last 2000 years the Alentejano breed has developed. These Cork oak and Holm oak forests continually drop acorns from the months of March through December.

“…Rich in oleic acid, which is responsible for the fat that melts in the mouth and the unmistakable aromas and tastes, acorns are the key to the excellence and organoleptic quality…”

The animals are allowed full pasture for up to 2 years, running wild eating up acorns till they achieve a weight of nearly 160 kg (over 350 pounds). Each pig can eat up to 25 pounds worth of acorns per day!

Rodrigo told me that one of the tricks used by those who raise the tastiest pigs is to have the water available far away from where the pigs pasture. The pasture is usually located at higher ground, and this causes the pigs to gorge themselves on acorns before they waddle down to have a drink. This repetition of eating and exercise works the nutrition deep into the muscles creating the best IMF.

As the Sus Mediterraneus breeds diversified throughout history, four main breeds were recognized: Negro Lampiño, Negro Entrepelado, Retinto and Raza Andaluza (rubia).

Those races further branched off to become the 7 breeds currently recognized as Iberian Black Pigs: Retinto, Negro entrepelado,Negro lampiño, Mamellado, Rubio, Manchada de Jabugo, and Torbiscal

For the production of Jamon de Iberico DOP, it is only required that the mother of the pig, whose back leg is being cured, be genetically 25% pure Iberico provenance. Each year 14 million Jamon are sold. To achieve this number of legs, it is no surprise that the government has compromised on the quality, resorting to hybrids crossed with Large Blacks or Durocs, mostly. These pig breeds are more closely related to the Celtic breeds of the north, and are great eaten just after slaughter. But they have a watered down potential for long term curing and drying.

This is why the Portuguese people have committed to keeping the name “Alentejano” pure. It cannot be crossed with any other breed and still legally carry that name.

Rodrigo has been procuring 100% Alentejano breed pig meat for years. But in true Portuguese fashion, he needed more control over his ingredients. His life is in Newark now, and he has developed a very close relationship with a farmer who raises and harvests the pigs Rodrigo then butchers and cures. When I visited Caseiro e Bom for the first time, I marvelled at the best ham butchery I have ever seen. This was not good enough, however, for Rodrigo. He noted small nicks in the meat of some of his hams. He then took me to the back cooler wher he had about 5 whole hogs hanging on hooks. Rodrido showed me the butt-hole and said, “See, where they cut out the bung? When they use a knife they cut into the ham. They should use a punch [I assume this is some kind of flesh hole punch] instead of a knife. This would make the ham free from errant cuts.” This was amazing. He speaks with utmost respect of the farm where he gets his product. The farm in Warren, NJ raises only pastured animals, less than 23 miles away from Rodrigo’s shop. Slaughtering is done on site. Apparently Rodrigo had one more point of order for the perfection of his hams, with regard to how they were disemboweled. So, I guess the only other step Rodrigo could do would be to have access to the breeding, and control over the trimming and cleaning techniques used during the slaughteting of 100% pure Alentejano They have 30 acres and lot of acorns on the farm in Warren…

Incidentally, the most expensive hams in the world, according to the “Guiness Book of World Records” the best quality retails at Selfridges for over $2,600, now thats for a 15 pound Albarragena Jamon Iberico de Bellota. Consider that Rodrigo’s hams are the same size, at the current $399/pound price tag, and that indicludes a “hand slicing by the producer” premium. Including bone and trim loss, his hams tally upwards of $5k. I accept that these types of abstract comparisons seem silly and totally unjustified, but I am also very curiois what the market will offer for great hams. I am very excited for the future.

On Sept. 20, 2016 a plane arrived at Newark Airport. On board, was a project that Rodrigo had spent over 5 years on, so far. He conducted tri lateral negotiations between the Portuguese Government, the US government, and his own interests. By signed affidavit to the portuguesee government, Rodrigo procured ten living 100% Porco Alentajano. This means, that due to the strict protection of the breed, and that it had never before left Portugal for breeding urposes, Rodrigo made a legal commitment to the source of his ingredient. If he fails in his duty to steward the breed according to Portuguese standards, or the genes are polluted, Rodrigo goes to prison. He told me, “What if my daughter, or niece gets married in Portugal? If I do the wrong thing with these animals, I will get thrown in prison when I attend the wedding!” The 5 males and 5 femae hogs were immediately sent to quarantine for 30 days, only after having been held for 60 days quarantine prior to leaving Portugal. I cannot confirm the total dollar amount, but I heard the freight costs alone topped $200,000! The twist came while in the evening, just outside the smokehouse, after spending two days attempting to learn the exquisite, mostly seam butchering techniques Rodrigo had honed over the last 35 years. We, the students, most certainly friends, old and new, infulged in two traditionally roasted suckling pig gorge sessions. Rodrigo got an emergency call from the quarantine center. He prepared for bad news, but he quickly smiled. Apparently, two of the pigs got the deed done while in Portuguese quarantine, and one of the sows gave birth to eight piglets! Rodrigo was elated! Suddenly, his face turned and quisically he said, “I wonder if this costs extra?!” Soon, they will be on their way to Dealaman Enterprises Farm to eat nuts and acorns and grubs, and roots of oak trees and someday we will walk into Caseiro e Bom and ask Rodrigo what he has produced with the local ingredients.

A great site for additional information on this breed is http://www.porcopretoalentejano.com/