Herkules, lovečák, turista, vysočina: Do you know traditional Czech salamis?
Amaso: Guaranteed quality meat
The word 'salami' comes from the Italian word 'salame', which can be translated as salted sausage. And the Italians also invented modern ways of making these specialities, specifically from the early 18th century. Nowadays, 'dry salami' can be can be classified according to the method of production into two categories: long-lasting cooked and fermented.
Long-lasting cooked salami
Salami that has been heat-treated, smoked and gently steamed (at 70 °C for 10 minutes) and then dried to give a long shelf life. A typical example is turista or vysočina salami.
Turista salami
Production of turista, or 'tourist' salami began in 1930 in the highland region, in the village of Hodice which lies about 20 kilometres from Jihlava. Initially, there were two types: firstly the smoked as we know it today, and with a noble white mould on the surface. This interesting but more difficult to produce version was still available in the 1950s. Today, there are two versions to choose from; the first is the 'snack' semi-dry tourist salami and the second is the long-lasting tourist salami.
"In the case of the long-lasting tourist salami, the choice of raw ingredient and honest craftsmanship play a big role and it takes longer to dry. At Amaso, it is we produce according to the original Czechoslovak recipe. We mix beef and pork with salt, pepper, coriander, garlic and sugar. Coriander provides a specific flavour and a little sugar helps to kick-start the natural fermentation. After smoking, the salami is gently steamed and left to cool. It is then slowly dried for five weeks and then smoked with cold smoke,' says butcher František Kšána from Amaso.
It's is best when it is brought to room temperature and served on a fresh bun, between two slices of bread with butter as a snack on a trip or just with beer or wine.
Vysočina salami
The first Vysočina, or highland salami, saw the light of day in 1967, also in Hodice. The aim was to create a product similar to Hungarian salami, but with the difference that it had to be heat-treated. When quality standards were abolished in the 1990s, the standard of 'vysočina' and other types of salami fell greatly.
Nowadays, the production requirements are again regulated by decree. Vysočina is produced from pork and beef and is typically reddish-brown in colour. It differs from tourist salami mainly in that it is less dry and has a finer mosaic when sliced.
Selský ('peasant') salami
This type of sausage is also heat-treated and then dried. However, 'peasant salami' has larger fatty grains in the mosaic, as it is made from coarsely minced meat. The butchers add a mixture of spices (pepper, nutmeg, coriander, garlic) to bring out the flavour of the salami.
Fermented long-lasting salami
These are uncooked salamis intended for direct consumption, where fermentation and maturation are followed by drying, making them durable. Typical examples are lovecký (hunter's) salami, uherský (Hungarian) salami, and poličan.
Lovecký salami
This is one of the best-known Czech long-lasting salamis. It was produced in the Czech Republic as early as the beginning of the 20th century, especially in the winter. 'Improved refrigeration and better equipment in the sausage-making workshops later made it possible to produce 'Lovecký salám' all year round, and so the speciality, which used to be available only at Easter and Christmas markets, became a companion even in summer,' explains František Kšána.
In Amaso, it is made according to the original Czechoslovak recipe, in which beef and pork are mixed with salt, pepper, cloves, garlic and sugar. The cloves give the salami a specific flavour and a little sugar helps to kick-start the natural fermentation process.
'The mixture is ground in a grinder through a plate with half-centimetre holes, then pushed into the beef small intestine through a square tube. Hunting salami was also used in natural casings in the past, but was later replaced by glue casings. These are easier to peel, but the natural beef casings we use are better at starting fermentation and give the salami a nice 'artisanal' shape," says František Kšána. The salami is then weighed down and left to ferment in the smokehouse for two days. It is then cold smoked, and finally dried slowly for five weeks.
Uherský (Hungarian) salami
The famous 'Uherák', as the name suggests, originates from Hungary. Here it is known as Téliszalámi, which means winter salami. This is because it requires cold to ferment, and so it used to be made only at this time of year. The recipe, dating back to 1869, is by Mark Pick,who was one of the largest pork processors in Hungary at the time.
He was inspired by a trip to Italy, the home of salami. Hungarian salami is made from pork, specifically from the mangalica breed and spices (pepper, allspice and others), which give it its characteristic flavour. It is also characterised by a noble mould on the surface, which is regularly brushed by the producer to keep it smooth. Since 2009, Hungarian salami has had a protected designation of origin.
Poličan
The name of the salami is derives from the town of Police nad Metují, where, in the second half of the 1970s, it was produced due to a shortage of Hungarian salami on the market. In Slovakia, the same product was sold under the name Nitran. Its flavour is mild yet distinctly spicy, which is why it is so popular among the public.
Herkules
A hero in ancient Rome, a salami in Czechoslovakia. Herkules began to be produced in the 1970s, and is known for its distinctive and spicy flavour. It is made from beef and pork and flavoured with a mixture of spices in which paprika and garlic play the main roles. The salami is both dried and smoked, which accounts for its durability. Unlike, for example, Poličan, starter cultures are used in its production.
Paprikáš
Paprikáš also has its roots in Hungary, where salami and sausages with paprika began in the 19th century and gradually spread to neighbouring countries, including the present-day Czech Republic. Here, Paprikáš was first produced in Hodice. It stands out with a hotter, spicier taste, thanks to, as its name suggests, paprika.
