Salami is traditionally and most commonly made from pork meat.
Although there are some beef varieties of Salami as well but most Salami is pork.
The difference between summer sausage and salami is in the moisture content of the meats.
Salami and Summer Sausage are essentially the same thing but with just different moisture content.
Summer sausage is usually a semi-dry sausage in which the summer sausage loses about 15% of its original weight during the cooking or drying process.
Salami on the other hand is basically sausage that contains even less moisture than sausage.
This is due to the drying process that the salami goes through.
The difference between summer sausage and winter sausage is that summer sausage is a cured sausage that does not require any cooking or refrigeration while some winter sausages are not cooked or cured and sometimes require cooking.
Summer sausage basically got it's name from the fact that it is cured and can be kept without refrigeration even during the summer.
Summer Sausage is sold in winter because it's a very popular sausage and it's not really a summer sausage like the name implies.
So it's sold both in winter and summer and year around although a lot of people eat summer sausage on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas etc.
Since this meat was traditionally cured during the winter and remained consumable through summer, it's possible this was how its name came to be.
Summer Sausage does not need to be refrigerated.
As long as the summer sausage has not been opened it requires no refrigeration and can be left out at room temperature for up to 9 months although it's best to eat the summer sausage within 3 months.
However once you open the summer sausage it needs to be refrigerated if not consuming or eating it within 4 days.
Summer Sausage can be left unrefrigerated when it's sealed for up to 9 months.
However once you open the summer sausage it should be refrigerated if not eating it or serving it within 4 days.
If unopened the summer sausage can sit out at room temperature for up to 9 months.
However once opened the summer sausage should be refrigerated if not eating or serving it within 4 days.
Opened summer sausage can be left out at room temperature overnight or for up to 4 days.
After opening summer sausage is usually good for around 4 days.
You should eat the summer sausage within 4 days of opening it or refrigerate it to extend it's shelf life.
Summer Sausage that has not been opened can be stored in your pantry or in your cabinet or on the counter at room temperature.
However if you open the summer sausage you should wrap the summer sausage in some plastic wrap and place it in a plastic Ziploc bag and then you can still keep it at room temperature or even place it in the refrigerator.
Although refrigeration is not required for the summer sausage it can be a good way to store it after opening it.
Summer Sausage is called summer sausage because of the fact that the summer sausage requires no refrigeration and can be kept without refrigeration even during the hot summer months.
Summer sausage got its name from the fact that when made the sausage needed little or no refrigeration, thus the sausages could be kept for eating in the usually warmer summer months.
Summer Sausage was made in Europe for hundreds of years (or longer) and immigrants brought their recipes to the new world.
2 slices of summer sausage is a serving of summer sausage.
One serving of summer sausage is considered 2 slices of summer sausage.
However of course you can serve more than 2 slices of summer sausage for person if you want too but 2 slices of summer sausage are considered one serving of summer sausage.
Summer Sausage does have a lot of sodium.
A summer sausage contains around 550 mg of sodium which is quite a lot of sodium so if you need to watch your sodium intake then you should eat summer sausage sparingly.
Summer Sausage does not contain or have any milk in it.
Although some processed meats have milk but summer sausage does not have milk.
Summer Sausage is most often dried sausage that goes through a fermenting and curing process using curing salt.
Although some types of summer sausage are also smoked summer sausage as well as cured sausage.
Summer sausage is fermented, and can be dried or smoked, and while curing ingredients vary significantly, curing salt is almost always used.
Seasonings may include mustard seeds, black pepper, garlic salt, or sugar.
Summer Sausage bought in the store does not need to be cooked.
The summer sausage bought in the store is already cooked and ready to eat.
You can eat summer sausage cold.
Summer Sausage is cooked and not raw.
You can slice up summer sausage and eat it without heating it up and eat it cold if you want too.
Normally summer sausage is served cold right out of the package.
Although some people may want to warm the summer sausage up there's no need to heat the summer sausage up.
I eat summer sausage right out of the package sometimes myself and don't heat it up first.
I've eaten a whole summer sausage myself although I always say that I'm saving some for later but it's so delicious that I keep a knife at my desk and will eat through the summer sausage within 10 to 20 minutes.
Summer sausage is meant to be eaten right from the package and it's not raw.
Just remember to remove the paper wrapper from around the summer sausage before you eat it.
If you've bought summer sausage from the store or your local butcher's shop, there's no need to cook or prepare it in any way.
Summer sausage can be served straight from the package and is an excellent pairing for any charcuterie board you want to serve at the next dinner party.