Levoni Salami Ungherese (Smoked Salami)

The Salami Ungherese was what won Ezechiello Levoni the gold medal in his first competition, and to this day, is made with a recipe and methods passed down for over 100 years. It’s a salami typical of Italy’s Northern Alto Adige region, and is delicately smoked with fine wood.

It has a bright red color, exuding delicate, complex aromas with smoky notes. It’s soft and sweet on the palate, with complex, smoky flavors, and hints of paprika.

This smoked salami goes very well with baby onions, gherkins, and pickled vegetables. It also complements the flavors of horseradish sauce and medium spicy mustard well. Pair with a full-bodied red wine.

The Levoni story began with Ezechiello Levoni, a former butcher’s apprentice. He realized his lifelong dream of opening up his own curing plant in 1911, in the outskirts of Milan. He put in practice all that he had learned with the Milanese master butchers throughout the years. In 1913, he got his first major recognition. Proud of his new brand, he entered the “Modern Arts & Industry” International Exhibition in London, winning a gold medal for his Salame Ungherese. This win was particularly sweet as the competition famously declared a newcomer like him would only win “when pigs fly.”

Levoni moved the flagship production to a small province in Mantua called Castellucchio in 1923, and in the succeeding years, would also put up their own slaughterhouse and curing plant. In 2014, they opened their first subsidiary in the United States, opening up a whole new wave of opportunities for Ezechiello’s dream. The company is still a family business, now on its fourth generation, and still producing high quality meats.

This type of sausage may be stored for up to 6 weeks (if whole) in your pantry and indefinitely in the refrigerator (whole or in vacuum-packed slices). After opening, they should be used within 3 weeks.