Salumeria Simoni

Italian head cheese made from the meat, skin, and cartilage of a pig's head, cooked in broth, pressed into a mold, and sliced cold. Each region has its own seasoning, ranging from lemon and parsley in the north to chili and fennel seed in the south. The result is a cold cut with a mosaic of textures visible in each slice.

Mortadella is a large Italian sausage, made from finely ground pork. Cubes of pork fat stud the smooth, pink surface. The sausage gets subtle flavor from spices and sometimes pistachios. It is often sliced thin and enjoyed in sandwiches or as part of an antipasto platter.

A soft, mild salami from the village of Felino in the Parma hills. Made from pork shoulder and loin with very little added fat, it is ground coarsely, seasoned with white wine and whole black peppercorns, and cured for a minimum of 25 days. The result is sliceable but yielding, pale pink inside, with a gentle pork flavor and none of the sharpness common in harder salamis. It holds IGP status.

A DOP salami from the Piacenza hills on the Po river's western edge. Made from pork shoulder and loin, seasoned with salt, whole peppercorns, and wine, then stuffed into a pork bladder or large casing and cured for a minimum of 45 days. The ageing environment of the Piacenza valleys, with their particular air currents from the Apennines, is considered essential to the product's character.

Small, hard salami historically carried by hunters in their game bags. Each piece weighs between 50 and 350 grams, making them portable by design. They are made across northern and central Italy but hold DOP protection as a collective product. The curing process is the same as larger salami, but the small diameter means the meat dries faster and the salt and spice penetrate deeper relative to the size.