I have recently found out that certain foods are meant to be served at certain temperatures. I really enjoy salami, but I normally eat it from the fridge.
Is it meant to be served chilled, at room temperature, or at a higher temperature?
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Eating something like salami chilled detracts from its flavour. Obviously you want to be a bit careful about leaving it out for a really long time, but I usually take anything I want to eat out of the fridge well before consumption.
It depends on how you wish to cook it. If you're making a sandwich then, of course, room temperature is the best, even taste wise! However, sometimes I like to add salami or sausages to an omelette or pasta and I heat it up in the pan as I'm cooking the food. In general, I think the serving temperature of salami all depends on personal opinion and how you're serving the dish.
Warning, ambient/room temperature means different things for different people; there is a big difference between 20c and 30c (google to convert to F).
I will usually keep the salami in the fridge and take it out 1/2 hour before eating (depending on the actual room/ambient temperature).
If you decide to slice the salami in advance, remember that each slice will warm up faster than if you keep the salami whole and slice each slice on demand.
Always at ambient temperature.
Salami was always meant to be eaten "as is", and by that, I mean not cooked. It was originally designed as a method of preserving excess meat to be eaten later on in the year, when meat was scarce.
IF you decide to heat up or cook your salami, no harm will come to you, but you will lose all the textures and flavours that you pick out when you eat them "raw",and at room temperature.
Oh,and by the way, salamis can keep for years, if kept at a constant humidity and temperature, for example, in a cellar, or deep cave!
I make my own salamis, hams and bresoalas, and can confirm that a salami made back in '91 tasted surprisingly good, despite looking like biltong!
IF you currently keep your salami in the fridge, take it out to get to temperature about 2 hours before you intend to eat it. Only take out as much as you need though, as it doesn't respond well to constant temp change (being taken out of the fridge,then put back in again) etc.
If you have some salami left over,cover it loosely with cling-film (cling-wrap in the USA), and it's good for 24-36 hours.
HAPPY EATING.