Salame Piacentino

Salame Piacentino is a salted, naturally matured dry sausage cased in pig gut, produced from lean pig meat with added pig fat, intended to be eaten raw. Its production is confined to the province of Piacenza, restricted to areas below 900 m above sea level, and pig herds must be located in the regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna.

About this designation

Salame Piacentino holds PDO status, registered under file number PDO-IT-1499, with EU protection dating from 2 July 1996. The protected name is 'Salame Piacentino', and the responsible producer group is the Consorzio della Coppa Piacentina, del Salame Piacentino, della Pancetta Piacentina a Denominazione di Origine Protetta, based in Piacenza. The production area covers the whole of the province of Piacenza, but is limited to those parts below 900 m above sea level. Pig herds must be located in the regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, and animals must be born, raised, and slaughtered in those regions. The specification requires that the fat content of the raw material range between 10 % and 30 %, and that head meat cuts may not be used for the lean part. Permitted fat components are lard, neck, and belly parts without soft fat. The meat is minced using a die with holes exceeding 10 mm in diameter, seasoned with a defined mixture including sodium chloride, potassium nitrate (E252), black and/or white pepper in grains and/or crushed, an infusion of garlic and wine, sugars, and sodium L-ascorbate (E301), all in quantities specified per 100 kg of fresh meat. After casing and tying, the salame is pierced and dried at a temperature between 15 °C and 25 °C and relative humidity between 40 % and 90 %. Maturation takes place at a temperature between 12 °C and 19 °C and relative humidity between 70 % and 90 %, for a period of not less than 45 days from the date of salting. The finished product is cylindrical, weighing between a minimum of 0,4 kg and a maximum of 1 kg. Inspection is carried out by E.CE.PA. — Ente Certificazione Prodotti Agroalimentari, Piacenza. On release for consumption, the label must bear the words 'Salame Piacentino' followed immediately by 'Denominazione di Origine Protetta'.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 2 July 1996 under file number PDO-IT-1499, with eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013379.
• The production area is confined to the province of Piacenza, restricted to parts below 900 m above sea level.
• Head meat cuts are expressly prohibited for the lean part of the raw material.
• Maturation must last not less than 45 days from the date of salting, at a temperature between 12 °C and 19 °C.

Tasting notes

Emilian salami, coarse grain with visible peppercorns, balanced sweet-savory flavor with garlic and red wine, longer aging (minimum 45 days) gives drier firmer texture and concentrated flavor.

HoReCa use

Sliced for a Piacentino salumi platter alongside Coppa and Pancetta Piacentina; paired with chiosotto and Gutturnio wine.

Packaging

• whole-piece-vacuum-700g-1kg
• half-piece-vacuum-500g
• deli-sliced-vacuum-100g