The best sausages are made in the Upper Molise, where it is still maintained the classic tradition of the butchery. Great reputation is for the brawn, especially in Castel del Giudice, Capracotta and Agnone, where there are also great tasting smoked ham, similar to a ventricina Abruzzo and certainly no less spicy occurs in Montenero di Bisaccia. Sessano has a particular specialty of pork liver sausage, known as “frascateglie” in local dialect, quite similar to mazzafegati and fegatazzi of neighboring regions. Their use is widespread in the company of polenta.
At Rionero they prepares a special sausage, flavored by fennel and preserved in fat.
All the following salamis are from pork.
Cacciatorini DOP
Cacciatorini sausages are popular for their characteristic taste and small size, which is quickly seasoned and can always be consumed fresh, since eaten quickly one at a time. Moreover, the name of this sausage derives exactly from a widespread rural use of hunters who used to bring short sausages with them in their excursions because, considering their reduced size, they could place them easily in their sacks.
Coppa di Campobasso
In Campobasso the head of the pig, cut off from the body was hung in a hook and garnished with an orange in its mouth, two chillies in its nostrils and a laurel branch in each ear. This tradition is almost no existent today, but we can find it in some popular sayings “vulesse vere la capa to’ appesa a la chianca ru Muccechille cu temone ‘mmocca”.
Mulette
Molise’s version of Capocollo or Coppa, spiced with chili rather than black pepper.
Pancetta
Fatty meat from the pig’s belly, shaped in rectangles or coiled. Essentially it is un-smoked bacon; it is served raw as an antipasto or cooked in numerous dishes.
Pampanella di San Martino
Small pork chops coated with a chili pepper and garlic paste, roasted, then rubbed with salt and vinegar.
Prosciutto Affumicato
Smoked hams rubbed with wine and chili.
Saggicciotto
Grade pork (leg, loin, neck, etc..) Are minced and mixed with diced hard fat. It is seasoned with salt, pepper and stuffed into natural casings, but did not put in the press. It’s a version of Molise Guilmi fine sausage.
Salsiccia di fegato di Rionero Sannitico
Fennel-flavored sausage conserved under a layer of fat.
Salsiccia Stufata
Cooked sausage that may include pork liver.
Sanguinati
Blood pudding scented with raisins, orange zest, parsley, chili, and garlic.
Soppressata di Rionero Sannitico
Salami from lean pork meat and pork fat (preferably from small black pigs). The meat is cut by knife rather than ground, then spiced, stuffed into casings, and pressed under a weight to obtain its characteristic flattened shape (hence the name).
Ventricina Molisana di Montenero di Bisaccia
Spreadable pork sausage similar to Ciauscolo; flavored with chili. A dry, good smelling tasty sausage, seasoned by cold winds going upstream from the sea, fragrant and colored by “pepedigne” which all it penetrates.
