Outstanding Loukanika Salami from Oregon
A taste of traditional Greek salami-making from the West Coast
It had been a while since I’d eaten this lovely artisan salami from out west. My mistake—I knew all along it was good, but eating a bit again last week reminded me why I’ve long loved it. In fact, it seems even better than I remembered. Lovely flavors, great aromatics, superb spicing, long finish!
Out in Portland, Olympia Provisions is crafting some of the best of the new generation of American charcuterie. The company was founded by Elias Cairo, his sister Michelle Cairo, Nate Tilden, Tyler Gaston, and Martin Schwartz—all with backgrounds in food and hospitality. Elias and Michelle grew up just outside Salt Lake City, with a Greek father who cured meats at home. All these years later, they’ve turned their father’s personal passion into a profession!
All of Olympia Provisions’ many products are carefully crafted and terrifically tasty. My favorite, though, is this lovely Greek-style Loukanika salami. It brings some of the flavors of Elias Cairo’s Hellenic heritage into play with the thriving charcuterie scene in Portland in the 21st century. Like all of their offerings, the Loukanika salami starts with sustainably-raised, heritage pork—you can taste the quality of these old breeds of pork in the complex, full flavor you get with every bite. Well over 95% of pork in the U.S. is raised in factory farms. Olympia, and the other folks we buy from, are a tiny minority of artisans who are actively working hard to return hog raising to more regenerative practices.
Building on the high quality of the pork, the spicing of the salami is also superb. There’s cumin, garlic, and hints of orange zest—all used to build on an old Cairo family recipe. The Loukanika is naturally fermented (much like a well-made cheese) to slowly develop its flavor, as salami has been matured for millennia now. Like all the Olympia Provisions products—and like all the salami we sell—it has a lively white mold on the outside. This mold is key to fermentation and slow, natural flavor development. When the mold is gone, the salami has almost certainly passed its prime.
Connor Valone, long-time salami selector at the Deli, says,
Elias’ commitment to naturally cased salami, made with pork farmed as sustainably and locally as possible, and filthy rich in penicillium nalgiovense, makes it taste and feel better than anyone else’s salami on the market. Every time I bring one home and unroll that brown paper, I wonder why it’s been so long since the last time.
The Loukanika salami is super tasty and easy to use in a thousand different, wonderfully delicious ways. Great in salami and eggs, and cut into small cubes and tossed into pastas. Cut it into thick slices and serve it up for a snack, or eat it alongside a green salad. I love it with good feta cheese, or a generous spread of Vermont Creamery’s Cultured Butter and some of the Bakehouse’s French baguette. And small chunks of salami are a great way to spice up a green salad—I think it’s one of the most underappreciated ways to take advantage of an artisan salami’s full flavor!
