Cured meats have been one of our most traditional foods going back to ancient times.
They are a popular part of Mediterranean diets and often play a starring role in tapas and antipasto dishes.
While you probably already know jamon, prosciutto and salami, there are many other interesting options too.
This article takes a look at 12 different types of cured meat alongside their nutrition facts and profiles.
What is Cured Meat?
Before we delve into the 12 types of cured meats, let’s first examine what cured meat is.
To put it simply; curing involves the salting, drying and aging of meat as a way of preservation, slowing spoilage, and preventing the growth of harmful bacteria.
Before refrigeration, curing was a lot more common (and necessary) than in today’s age of convenience.
In other words; if we didn’t cure out meat, we wouldn’t have had any!
We tend to cure meat in two different ways;
Traditional: the traditional way of curing was simply to fully cover the cut of meat in salt.
Modern: Although some producers still use the traditional method, many cured meats now use preservatives called nitrites and nitrates. These preservative salts come in the form of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate. There is some controversy over the health effects of using these compounds, but that is an article for a different day.
Cured meat tends to have a deeper flavor and softer texture than fresh meat and people sometimes refer to it as ‘cold cuts’.
However, not all cold cuts are cured/fermented, and some are just precooked ham.
Although this isn’t always the case, cured meat usually comes in the form of dry-cured beef/pork sausages (such as salami) or whole muscle meat slices (like prosciutto).
Key Point: Cured meat is simply meat that has been preserved to prevent spoilage. It has a unique taste and texture.
Types of Cured Meat
Now, let’s examine twelve of the best/most popular cured meats.
For each one, you will find information on the history, nutrition profile, and interesting trivia.
1. Cervelat
Cervelat is a kind of cured sausage with origins in Switzerland.
However, it is also produced in some regions of France and Germany.
Region:
Switzerland (also France, Germany)
Ingredients:
Bacon, beef, pork, salt, spices
History shows that this dry-cured sausage was first mentioned back in the mid-16th century.
At that time, it was made in a very different way and the recipe called for a mixture of beef brains and meat.
In modern times, the ingredients include a tasty mix of bacon, beef and pork alongside various spices for seasoning.
Nutritionally, cervelat provides the following nutrients (1);
Calories: 362 kcal
Carbohydrate: 3.3 g
Fat: 30 g
Saturated: 12 g
Monounsaturated: 13 g
Polyunsaturated: 1.2 g
Protein: 17.45 g
Sodium: 1300 mg
Unlike most cured meat, cervelat is often cooked before eating and the sausage is typically boiled, fried or grilled.
Key Point: Cervelat is a traditional dry-cured Swiss sausage made from a variety of meats and spices.
Similar to cervelat, chorizo has a long history and predates the industrial revolution (2).
Region:
Spain / Portugal
Ingredients:
Pork, pork fat, smoked paprika, salt
Chorizo has an interesting taste; it is a little bit spicy and very fatty but in a good way.
As shown in the ingredients box chorizo is seasoned with a kind of smoked paprika known as ‘pimenton’.
Pimenton plays a prevalent role in Spanish cuisine, and it is responsible for the red color of chorizo.
Depending on the type of pimenton, chorizo will either be classed as picante or dulce. The former uses spicy paprika while the latter uses a sweet variety.
Traditionally, intestines provide chorizo’s casing.
Since chorizo is made from a mix of pork and lard (pork fat), it has a higher calorie and fat content compared to other cured meats (3).
Calories: 455 kcal
Carbohydrate: 1.9 g
Fat: 38.3 g
Saturated: 14g
Monounsaturated: 18 g
Polyunsaturated: 3.5 g
Protein: 24.1 g
Sodium: 1235 mg
Key Point: Chorizo is a spicy dry-cured Spanish sausage and it is one of the most popular cured meat varieties.
3. Coppa
Coppa marks the first entry for an Italian cured meat.
Otherwise known as capocollo, this delicious dry-cured meat uses pork shoulder and a mixture of tasty seasonings.
The pork shoulder is served in thin slices which have a deep flavor.
Region:
Italy (various regions)
Ingredients:
Pork shoulder, red (or white) wine, herbs, spices, salt
There are several different variants of coppa and all use their place of origin within their name.
In total, coppa is produced in six different Italian regions and each variety is named accordingly;
Capocollo della Basilicata
Capocollo di Calabria
Capocollo del Lazio
Coppa Piacentina
Capocollo dell Umbria
Capocollo tipici senese
As shown above, the varieties of coppa written in bold have Protected Designation of Origin (POD) status under EU law.
Here is the typical nutrition profile for soppressata (14);
Calories: 321 kcal
Carbohydrate: 0 g
Fat: 25 g
Protein: 25 g
Sodium: 1357 mg
Key Point: Soppressata is a popular and tasty variety of salami.
Final Thoughts
The twelve options in this article are just some of the cured meats that are available.
There are so many varieties, some of which have roots way back in ancient times.
Additionally, these meats all make a great combination on a cheese platter.
Nutritonally, they provide a similar nutritional profile to regular meat.
However, they can be very high in sodium (and potentially preservatives), so moderation is required. In this regard, the product packaging should list the recommended serving size.
Michael works as a nutritionist in a community setting and holds a Master's Degree in Clinical Nutrition. He is a Registered Associate Nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition.
