I first encountered ’nduja in the seaside town of Scilla, near the tip of the toe of the Italian boot in Calabria. The spicy, spreadable cured pork arrived on an abundant tagliere filled with cheese, salumi, and crostini, but everyone reached for the ’nduja first. I was cautioned to start with a tiny dollop on bread to gauge whether I could tolerate the heat, and even with that small bite, the impact of the rich, fiery flavor was immediate, and unlike anything I’d ever tasted before.
’Nduja (pronounced en-doo-ya) originated in the Calabrian town of Spilinga, and has become one of the region’s most famous foods. It was typically made in the winter months when the pigs were slaughtered, and poor farmers blended the meat leftover from butchering with salt and plenty of chili pepper, then stuffed the paste into a casing, and hung it to cure. The intense flavor and soft texture make ’nduja an especially versatile ingredient, and this product of cucina povera has achieved international renown in recent years.
(ph LCI archives)
‘Nduja from Italy is not available in the US, but fortunately there are some excellent American interpretations. The following are two of my favorites.
Salumeria Biellese
Salumeria Biellese was founded in Manhattan in 1925 by Ugo Buzzio, who grew up in Biella in Piemonte, where he apprenticed with the charcuterie maker in his village. His son Marc became involved in the business in the late 70s and had grand ideas about modernizing the business, switching from natural casings to artificial casings, and from hand-tying to clippers. “My father just looked at me and said in Piemontese dialect, ‘Poor little lost bird’ or ‘My shoes are smarter than you.’ He wouldn’t let me change a damn thing, and so fast forward we never changed anything, and now the only way to learn the craft the way he did is to go to Italy to find a small little guy who still makes stuff by hand.”
Their old school methods, and keeping those traditions alive, became a point of pride for Buzzio—“If it didn’t work five generations ago, we wouldn’t be here right now.” Acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs ranging from the late Sirio Maccioni of Le Cirque to Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Daniel Boulud are among the impressive list of Salumeria Biellese clients who value their quality and technique.
Salumeria Biellese’s ’nduja is made with ground pork shoulder, their own blend of spices, and Calabrian chili peppers in olive oil. Buzzio gives it 7 out of 10 on a scale of spiciness–“it won’t bring a tear to your eye, but you’ll remember it the next morning.” He especially loves it with mussels cooked with shallots, garlic, and white wine, accompanied by a loaf of bread, or on orecchiette with broccoli rabe.
(ph credit Ellen Mary Cronin, as well Main Picture)
La Quercia
Husband and wife Herb and Kathy Eckhouse started Prosciuttificio La Quercia in Iowa in 2005. They were inspired by their experiences living in Parma for over three years. “At that time in 1986, the only prosciutto available made in the US wasn’t very pleasing, so we never ate it. And then we moved to Italy and we’d eat it several times a week,” explained Herb Eckhouse. “We really appreciated the focus on the quality of the ingredients in Italian cuisine.”
Herb and Kathy Eckhouse (ph credit Adam Albright)
When they returned to the US, they reflected on the possibility of creating something that reflected the unique terroir of Iowa. “We have this huge prairie, it’s amazingly fertile and so abundant…we thought we should make some great food and bring people back to the ingredients that are possible to create here.” They settled on prosciutto, and after studying the process and making it at home, they opened La Quercia 15 years ago. Their prosciutto was hailed by the famous food critic Jeffrey Steingarten as "the best American or imported prosciutto I’ve ever tasted."
They began making ’nduja more recently, using prosciutto ends that were leftover from slicing, plus their speck, and American red peppers. While this is not the way it’s traditionally made in Calabria, the spirit of taking meat trimmings and turning them into something delicious is the same. The spicy prosciutto spread, as it’s described on the packaging, is wonderful on a pizza, in a grilled cheese sandwich, added to an omelet, on a baked potato, even baked into bread. “The different opportunities for enjoying it are limited primarily by your imagination,” says Eckhouse. “It really has all the flavor hooks—meaty, spicy, smoky, fatty—it’s like how could you go wrong.”