Salumeria facts for kids

Foods and people at a salumeria

A salumeria is a special kind of food shop. It comes from Italy and has been around since the Middle Ages. In a salumeria, you can find delicious Italian meat products called salumi. These shops might make their own food, or they might just sell food made by others. Some even have a restaurant where you can sit down and eat!

What is a Salumeria?

A salumeria in Milan, Italy in 1930. You can see chicken and other foods hanging outside.

A salumeria is a store that sells and sometimes makes salumi. These are special Italian meat products. Think of things like sausages and cold cuts. Most salumi are made from pork.

But salumerias sell more than just meat! You might also find other foods there. These can include bresaola, which is a salted beef product. They also sell things like pasta, cheese, and preserved foods. You can often find anchovies, salt cod, wines, and fresh bread too.

Some modern salumerias only sell salumi and similar items. They might not make the products themselves. Other salumerias are also restaurants. For example, Sorriso Italian Salumeria in Queens, New York City, lets you sit down and eat. Salumeria Biellese is another famous salumeria in New York City. It opened way back in 1925.

A Look Back: History of Salumerias

Salumerias first started in Italy during the Middle Ages. Long ago, salumerias in Bologna, Italy, did not make their own meats. Instead, they bought meats and other foods from local suppliers. These suppliers worked in a special system called a guild.

A guild was like a club for people who did the same job. The rulers of Bologna created this system. For example, the salaroli guild controlled the salt industry. They salted the pork. Then, the pork went to the lardaioli guild. This guild sold the pork. The lardaioli also used pork fat to make soap and candles!

This old guild system ended around the year 1800. This happened when Napoléon Bonaparte was in power.

Gallery

• Salumerias
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  Foods at a salumeria

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  The front of a salumeria in Verona, Italy

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  Pasta at a salumeria

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  A salumeria in Valletta, Malta

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  A salumeria in San Gimignano, Italy, opened in 1855

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  Inside a salumeria