Bende Sibiu Salami, Romanian Style

Sibiu salami — salam de Sibiu — is Romania's great dry salami: pork, salt and spice, cold-smoked over beech and then hung for two to three months under a coat of white noble mould until it is firm enough to shave. Named for the Transylvanian city, and on every Romanian Christmas table.

• Whole stick, sold by the piece
• Pork, salt and spices — no paprika, no garlic
• Mould-ripened and dry-cured, ready to eat
• Romanian-style, made in the USA by Bende & Son

The white coat belongs there

The chalky bloom on the casing is the noble ripening mould, not spoilage. Wipe it off with a dry cloth, or peel the casing back as you slice. A sibiu without it has not been cured properly.

Eating it

Shaved thin — it is dense and salty, and a thick slice wastes it. Bread, a sharp pickle, and something to drink. It keeps for months, which is what it was built for.

Ingredients

Pork, salt, spices, dextrose, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), lactic acid starter culture, sodium nitrite. Surface treated with potassium sorbate solution and ripening mould.

Keeping it

Cool and dry. Once cut, wrap the face and refrigerate; it carries on drying and firming.

Made in the USA by Bende & Son Salami Co. under USDA inspection.