I have a question about the origin of an Easter "salad" my grandmother brought over from her town in Italy.

Question

My grandmother lived in a small town outside of Naples, Italy. For Easter, she always made a platter of soppressata, hard boiled eggs, and oranges. She said it was from her hometown, and each of the components symbolized something, but if she told me what that was I don't remember. You are supposed to wrap half an egg and an orange slice with a piece of soppressata and eat it all together. It is delicious, and my family still makes this every easter. I was wondering if anyone else knows of this tradition and could shed some light on it's origins or what it means?

Answer 1

Soppressata di Calabria is an aged salami yet maintains a soft texture due to a short aging period. This salami is made from the lean meat from the head of the hog and coarsely ground. The meat is then mixed with backfat, pepper, spices and wine. Soppressata is then flattened and knotted horizontally to form several square sections before a 40-day aging cycle. This soft and delicate salami is sliced thin and by hand.

My sister lives in Bologna. I could ask her.