Salsiccia Fresca di Suino Calabrese Piccante
Calabria — widespread throughout the region
Fresh (not cured) Calabrian pork sausage made from a coarse grind of pork shoulder and fat, seasoned aggressively with ground Calabrian peperoncino (both sweet and hot varieties), fennel seeds, and black pepper. The defining characteristic is the generous chilli content — far more than any other Italian regional fresh sausage — and the use of fennel pollen or crushed seeds that perfume the sausage without sweetening. The sausage is typically grilled over charcoal or fried until blistered and charred in spots. Excess fat renders out, the casing crisps, and the interior stays moist and loose-textured.