Greußener Salami (Greußen salami)
G.g.A. Greußener Salami is a long-life sausage made from select beef, pork and bacon mildly flavoured with pepper and other natural spices which is smoked naturally with beechwood chips before maturing in separate, air-conditioned rooms. The product is characterised by its attractive appearance when cut, by its stable colour retention and mild pepper flavour. The salami has received the CMA label and DLG award.
Geographical area: Town of Greußen - Kyffhäuser as administratively defined.
Proof of origin: Master butcher Carl Auener took over the Greußen meat products factory in 1897 and developed several products with a "fine flavour" and long shelf life. Greußen, a market town of about 12 000 inhabitants in the green heart of Germany, is a byword for high-quality hard sausages. The factory employees, who still often work as on-farm slaughterers, have strong traditional links with the "sausage factory" and the Greußener Salamifabrik GmbH and have passed on their experience for generations through years of vocational training.
Method of production: The beef with little sinew and fatty tissue, roughly trimmed pork and bacon used in the production of Greußener Salami are mostly obtained from Thuringian slaughterhouses and cutting plants. The origin of the meat is the basis for the products' description as original Thuringian quality products. Seasoning is done according to the firm's own traditional recipes, whose main ingredients are pepper, salt, garlic (in moderation) and other natural seasonings. The seasoning mixture for each batch is weighed out and prepared by hand. After the mincing process using a grinder and cutter, the sausage meat is stuffed into fibre casings at a temperature of-20C to -40C, conveyed to the smoking room on an overhead rail and smoked at intervals with beechwood chips for 4-5 days. The pH value and temperature are monitored and regulated manually during the smoking process. After smoking the salami is stacked in two layers on the shelves in ripening rooms and ripened naturally for 4-5 weeks. Natural ripening loss is about 30-35%. Greußener Salami is characterised by cutting cleanly, by its mild taste and by a minimum conservation period of 70 days.
Link to geographical area: Thuringian sausage products have had a good reputation in Germany for over 200 years. Thuringian craft butchers have mastered the art of seasoning. Greußener Salami is one of these well-known and loved Thuringian specialities. The salami is produced according to old traditional recipes. The use of local raw materials, the cool smoke of fine wood and the mild climate of the Thuringian basin make a substantial contribution to the foil development of the product's flavour. The climatic conditions in the Greußen Basin, together with the air unpolluted by industry, provide favourable conditions for the ripening process, which is not computer-controlled. They allow the spicy flavour to mature and guarantee consistent high quality.
Gastronomy: The G.g.A. Greußener Salami is preserved well in cool and dry places, preferably in the refrigerator, at a temperature of roughly 7°C. It is enjoyed fresh, and is perfect on its own, diced, served with a good glass of wine. Yet, it is also appreciated as ingredient in various recipes, such as dumplings, potato pie and the G.g.A. Greußener Salami with broccoli sauce.
Reference: The European Commission
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