Tasting DOP and IGP salame
Colur of the lean part: To be intended as the colour of the lean muscular part of a slice. This colour should be an intense and brilliant red.
Uniformity of the color: To be intended as the lack of lighter or darker color areas in
the lean part, in the entire slice. Salame must be uniformly coloured, without significant external crusty areas. The presence of a slightly more intensely coloured external ring is acceptable, as de-hydration is stronger in this area. However there must be no anomalous colours like green or brown
Color of the fat: The fat must be perfectly white, and in the correct proportion. As the
mix has a large grain, the distribution of these is never perfectly homogenous.
Tightness of a slice: Seen as the degree of cohesion of a slice. If the mix tends to loose
grains (like a sausage) and form holes, it means it is not cohesive; on the other hand, if it sticks together even under a slight traction this means it has good cohesiveness and the slice is well tied together. Cohesion mustn’t be taken for softness: both a hard and a soft slice of salame can have a good degree of cohesion.
As tradition teaches us, the act of slicing a Salame must be diagonal to its long axis, just like the reed of a Clarinet. This will give you a perfectly non-round slice of the perfect thickness.
Olfactive intensity: Depending on length and place of seasoning, the product may have spicy smells varying in degree, slight hints of mould, and bread-crust fragrance, as well as aromas reminiscent of grass, green wood and mimosa.
Salame must never smell rancid, farm-like or of intestine etc. As Salame is seasoned, it must never smell of fresh meat either.
Salame tastes sweet and delicate, with a fragrant and characteristic aroma, a slightly sour aftertaste which depends on how long it is seasoned for.
Spicy: Spicing has to be very delicate. One may be able to tell the taste given by the red wine infusion or garlic, depending on the quantity used by its producer.
All the above olfactory feelings above mentioned are evaluated, as well as persistency of aromas. Aroma persistency measures the time elapsed between deglutition and the disappearance of the perception of the product’s aroma.