Pork sausage and zampone featured at year's end.

End-of-year festivities at the table represent a compilation of many delicious products from Italian cuisine. Among these are definitely Cotechini and Zamponi, (here we discussed the cotechino as a typical dish for Christmas) but also the Salama da sugo: three extraordinarily typical products that have won over the tables of all Italians and beyond.
 

The Zampone

The Zampone (here you can find our selection of zampone to buy) has an ancient tradition that dates back to the old taverns and inns of the Middle Ages and that was born in 1511 thanks to a siege by the "terrible" Pope Julius II della Rovere who regained the city of Mirandola in the province of Modena after it had sided against him in favor of the French royal house.

It was a siege that pushed the inhabitants of Mirandola to protect their most considerable and lasting heritage: pigs. But to do so and have edible meat in a short time, they decided to grind the pig and put the meat inside its more durable and thicker skin: its legs, indeed. From here emerges a myth at the table, and the irony is that despite not finding the pigs, Julius della Rovere on January 20 made the city capitulate and still gorged on their zamponi.

The Cotechino

The cotechino has more ancient origins and was produced by the ancient guild of larders, sausage makers, or former butchers. Certainly more than two hundred years before the zampone. In short, these ancient stuffed products bring to the table the deepest and undoubtedly more enjoyable Middle Ages.
See our selection of the best precooked cotechini.
 

The Salama da Sugo

The Salama da Sugo from Ferrara also becomes a pride of the Estense plains and a precious gift that even at that time the lordship of Ferrara was accustomed to bestowing upon the most powerful of the time. A great admirer of this ancient sausage was Lorenzo the Magnificent de' Medici of Florence. But its popularity has reached here thanks to admirers such as Mascagni and Ungaretti, Bacchelli and D'Annunzio, Greta Garbo and Mario Soldati.

Spaghetti & Mandolino presents products from one of the most prestigious Italian salumerias nestled among the ancient lands where those sausages were born in the depths of time. The Salumificio Zironi is still the main producer of Salama da Sugo for the people of Ferrara, while the best Zamponi are those of the Salumificio Pedrazzoli, which are slowly steamed at low temperature. A delight for all palates. An unmissable opportunity for those who love to eat healthily, even when they want to indulge a little. Cotechini and Zamponi are also available in the organic version, which is rare in Italy. Treat yourself to the beauty of a zampone "on display" Q+. Packaged in a transparent container, steamed, without unnecessary and troublesome, not to mention unhealthy, liquids.

For a great regional and typical finale, we propose the best wine for these sausages: Mr. Lambrusco! We propose the one from the cellars of La Pederzana in Castelvetro di Modena. Their Grasparossa is one of the best among those produced in the denomination and certainly unique because it uses a clone of Grasparossa born among the vineyards of ownership, which gives the wine a delightful creaminess and roundness.

Well, now it's your turn! Make the right choice for your tables this end of the year: choose history, quality, tradition, and allow yourself to indulge a bit in the most succulent of the ancient inns of the past.