The Sibiu Salami, promoted at Agra 2016, Slovenia
The Sibiu Salami, a product that at the beginning of this year was officially registered as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) within the European Union, was promoted in Slovenia, at Agra 2016, one of the most important agriculture and food fairs that brings together both EU member states and countries from outside the Union.
Romania was represented by a delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, led by Mr Daniel Dumitru Botănoiu. This is the second time a MADR delegation attends this fair with an information booth presenting the country’s food and agriculture strategies and policies, with each day of the event marked by tastings of quality products that are representative for Romania.
„Sibiu salami is one of the country’s most appreciated products and we enjoy each time we have the opportunity to promote it abroad. We are very pleased with the involvement of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in supporting quality products, something that also gives us the opportunity to build a brand that is strong and representative for our values”, said Carmen Gavrilescu, President of the Association of Sibiu Salami Producers and Marketing Manager of Agricola Bacău.
The visitors to Agra 2016 had thus the opportunity to get acquainted to various traditional Romanian garments, discover customs and crafts but especially taste products labeled Protected Geographical Indication or Protected Designation of Origin, as well as other representative products like fish spread from Dobrogea or Cozonacul Domnesc (King’s Sweet Bread) from Moldova.
A tradition dating back more than a century
The Association of Sibiu Salami Producers (APSS) is an organization supported by the CEOs of the six member companies and is chaired by Carmen Gavrilescu, president, and vice president Sorin Minea, CEO of Angst. To join APSS the applicants must fill out a request and follow a procedure as per the applicable law. Membership is conditional on ownership of a production facility (that must have the appropriate technology to make the product), the ability to make the sausage according to the terms of reference, and localization within the boundaries of Bacău, Brașov, Călărași, Covasna, Ilfov, Prahova, and Sibiu counties, or in the city of Bucharest.
The specific taste of Sibiu salami derives from a recipe more than a hundred years old and is due to carefully selected ingredients, the meat and lard used, the spices, the smoke of hardwood harvested from Romania’s forests but especially to the chemical compounds formed by the fermentation of sugars, proteins, or lipids. The unmistakable flavor of the Sibiu salami is also a result of the long drying and curing time.
Beyond these differentiating aspects, in the context of its being a PGI the particularity of Sibiu salami is mainly based on a specific production method created by skilled local producers as well as on its taste, which is due to the characteristics of some of the auxiliary ingredients used. Human resources continue to be relevant to the making of Sibiu salami, as its production involves a lot of manual steps, with the whole production process unchanged for decades.