Ciauscolo Salami: What It Is, Recipe and Where to Buy

Ciauscolo salami: origin and characteristics

Ciauscolo is a finely ground pork sausage, and what sets it apart from other cured meats is its spreadable texture. This depends on three factors: the amount of fat in the mixture, the way the meat is ground and the humidity of the aging rooms. The softness is more marked in the ciauscolo of the upper Macerata area and the Ascoli hinterland, where the mixture is fattier.

The IGP production rules specify the cuts precisely, from the most to the least abundant. Pork belly can reach 70%, shoulder 40% and trimmings of leg and loin 30%. The pigs must be of the Large White, Landrace or Duroc breeds, or compatible with the standard of the Italian heavy pig. It is seasoned with salt, ground black pepper, wine and garlic.

Ciauscolo IGP is made in several stages:

• before processing, the meat rests in a cold room for 2-10 days after slaughter;
• it is ground in two or three passes, with progressively smaller plates, down to holes of 2-3 millimeters;
• the mixture goes into a natural pork or beef casing, tied at the ends with hemp twine or another natural fiber; larger pieces may have intermediate ties;
• drying follows, and possibly smoking;
• aging lasts at least 15 days, in well-ventilated rooms between 8 and 18 °C.

Producers who make and age it in the mountain areas of the IGP zone can write «prodotto della montagna» (mountain product) on the label. The production area includes many Sibillini towns. In the province of Macerata: Visso, Ussita, Castelsantangelo sul Nera, Bolognola, Fiastra, Sarnano and Cessapalombo. In the province of Fermo: Amandola and Montefortino.

In Umbria ciauscolo is made in many places, for example Poggiodomo, Norcia and Spoleto, but the Umbrian version is not covered by the IGP. The mixture uses shoulder, ham and a lot of pork belly. The meat goes through the grinder three times, with progressively smaller plates, until the grain is almost that of a pâté. The seasoning is salt, pepper, crushed garlic and a little wine. The casing can be pork or cow, and aging lasts two or three months in a cellar.

The history of ciauscolo

Ciauscolo was born as a cured meat of the peasant cooking of inland Umbria and the Marche. Its traditional area coincides with the old Duchy of Camerino and Spoleto, and the product remains tied to the Camerino countryside, especially Visso. Archive records have mentioned it for more than three centuries. The oldest document is a price list from Belforte del Chienti dated 1696, kept at the State Archive of Macerata. Next comes the list of goods of a delicatessen from 1727, at the State Archive of Camerino. Another price list from October 1851, the «Prezzi dei generi» of the Notarial Archive of Camerino, lists ciauscolo together with its price.

The origin of the name is uncertain. The most likely hypothesis derives it from the Latin ci(a)busculum, meaning «small food» or «snack». Carlo Battisti and Giovanni Alessio thought instead of iūsculum, meaning «broth». The meaning «snack» matches its use: farmers ate it mid-morning and in the afternoon.

Ciauscolo is also tied to the sharecropping economy. Until the 1950s farms were small and each usually raised just one pig. Ciauscolo was a way to use what was left after the choicest cuts had been taken. Slaughtering the pig at home and processing the meat was a winter event that brought families and neighbors together.

Ciauscolo became a national IGP on November 3, 2006 and a European IGP in 2009. In 2025 the Ministry of Agriculture recognized the Consorzio di tutela del Ciauscolo IGP (the protection consortium), which is responsible for checking compliance with the production rules and fighting imitations.

Visso, the home of ciauscolo, was one of the epicenters of the 2016 earthquake. Residents had to leave their homes and also the old cellars where the salami was aged. The norcini (pork butchers), however, did not stop working.

How to eat ciauscolo

The traditional way is simple: remove the casing and spread the ciauscolo on stale bread or bread toasted over the fire. The spread slice can also be put back over the fire. Locally, wood-fired bread is used, such as the unsalted soft-wheat fila. Ciauscolo also appears on crostini and bruschetta, as a starter or snack. It is best taken out of the refrigerator at least half an hour before eating.

It pairs well with the cheeses and wines of its home area. The pairing with ricotta and with soft mixed sheep and cow pecorino is well known, and among vegetables with cabbage, broccoli and turnip greens. For the local cheeses there is the page on Sibillini pecorino cheese.

Thanks to its fat, in cooking ciauscolo becomes a sauce base. For pasta with ciauscolo it is melted slowly in a pan, often with onion or shallot, without browning it too much. In the tomato version, once the salami has released its fat, the tomato pulp is added and the sauce cooks for about a quarter of an hour. A frittata is simple too: soften the onion, crumble the ciauscolo with a fork and after a couple of minutes pour in the beaten eggs.

In Marche trattorias ciauscolo also appears crumbled in risotto or in place of guanciale in carbonara and amatriciana. It is also used in potato croquettes and ricotta balls, baked or fried. Other uses are fillings, savory pies and as a seasoning for legumes and vegetables.

Where to buy ciauscolo

Ciauscolo is bought mainly in norcinerie (pork butcher shops), butcher shops and food shops in the villages where it is made. In the Sibillini the name most linked to ciauscolo is Visso. On the Umbrian side, in Norcia, there are norcineria shops and the Umbrian version. For those heading to Umbria, more information is on the page on Prosciutto di Norcia IGP.

To recognize the certified product, look at the label. The IGP mark guarantees that the ciauscolo was made according to the production rules and in the designated area. The words «prodotto della montagna» mean that processing and aging took place in a mountain area of the IGP zone. Some artisan norcini in Visso, however, do not join the IGP. In their view the required pig breeds are too lean to obtain a truly spreadable ciauscolo, so they sell it under other names.

Ciauscolo is sold whole or in pieces, loose, vacuum-packed or in modified atmosphere. Packaged ciauscolo lasts longer, as long as it is kept refrigerated. After the 2016 earthquake some workshops and shops in the area were damaged or had to relocate: before leaving, check which ones are open. The other local specialties are on the page on Sibillini local food products.