Charcuterie, a word of French origin, and salumeria, from Italian, occupy ever-increasing spaces in the menus of bars and restaurants. They appear in main courses, appetizers, sauces and pasta fillings and come into the picture with the disclaimer that it’s all handmade.
The products are produced in a 100% handmade way, with raw material chosen with care. Recipes can be traditional or invented by new generations of charcuterie.
Enthusiast of the new wave, Giovanna Grossi, chef at the São Paulo restaurant Animus, is passionate about charcuterie and has already immersed herself in France. “I spent about five days on a farm, where we killed the little pigs and did the whole process”, says she, who participated in the Iron Chef program (Netflix).
In Animus, she uses charcuterie in several ways. One of the main dishes on the new menu is the grilled octopus tentacle, served in a small pan accompanied by pumpkin puree and black pudding with hazelnuts (R$54).
Of Spanish origin and almost black in color, morcilla is pork, onion and blood. It is supplied by Pirineus Embutidos Artesanales, founded in 1958 by Catalan immigrant José Ribas Quintana.
Today, his nephew, Raul Nádia Ribas, is in charge of production. Eight tons of sausages leave the factory a month, such as chistorra (with paprika) and secallona (with lean pork meat). The processes are manual.
Giovanna also assembles boards as a starter (R$78), in which she alternates Salumeria Mayer products. Created in 2018 by the couple Rudolf Mayer and Milena Furlanetto, the company presents itself as a microsalumeria specialized in long maturation.
The salamis, which contain ingredients such as red wine, paprika, mushrooms, hazelnuts and pistachios, are aged for up to 120 days. All recipes are copyright.
The creations are sold to restaurants, bars and emporiums, but can also be purchased through WhatsApp and the Goomer platform.
Charcuterie emerged to make meats last longer, and many methods were developed over the centuries, such as salting, fermentation, curing and smoking.
Despite having become a hobby, the subject is far from being a joke — sausages produced in a hurry, without the necessary technical rigor, can be toxic.
Chemist Peterson Rebechi, who has taught courses to more than 12,000 charcuterie makers, says that sodium nitrite, or curing salt, is fundamental even in artisanal production, as it is the only one that eliminates the risk of contamination.
Regarding the other common inputs in industrial production, such as dyes, flavorings and monosodium glutamate, Rebechi is adamant. “In artisanal products, only meat, salts and seasoning are included.”
In Brazil, it was like this for many years, well before the practice became known by foreign names.
One specialist who will be at Fartura São Paulo is Cumpade João, from Casa de Cumpade, in Campina Grande (PB).
The restaurant is in the rural district of Galante. He raises pietrain pigs, which turn into sausages and cured meats. One of his hits is rice scrambled with meat.
“My charcuterie also includes beans and favada. I always smoke the sausages, using firewood from fruit trees”, he says.
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