Historically, salami was popular among Southern, Eastern, and Central European peasants because it can be stored at room temperature for up to 45 days once cut, supplementing a potentially meager or inconsistent supply of fresh meat.

[1] In Europe, the main countries that produce salami are France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Spain, which make several hundred million kilograms per year.

[9] Similar types of sausages are found in the Middle East, where various meats such as beef, lamb, and mutton are used; or in China, where lap cheong (lit.

Typical additional ingredients include:[15] The maker usually ferments the raw meat mixture for a day, then stuffs it into either an edible natural or inedible cellulose casing, and hangs it up to cure.

To achieve the flavor and texture that salami possesses, fermentation, which can also be referred to as a slow acidification process promoting a series of chemical reactions in the meat, has to take place.

In a traditional process, the maker skips the fermentation step and immediately hangs the salami in a cool, humid curing environment.

The bacteria produce lactic acid as a waste product, which lowers the pH and coagulates the proteins, reducing the meat's water-holding capacity.

The bacteria-produced acid makes the meat an inhospitable environment for pathogenic bacteria and imparts a tangy flavor that distinguishes salami from machine-dried pork.

Starter cultures, such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and coagulase-negative cocci (CNC), such as specific strains of Staphylococcus xylosus[18] or Micrococcus,[19][20] are most commonly used in salami production.

[21] More species of LAB and CNC were discovered during recent decades and they were found to have different fermentation temperatures with variable rates of acidification.

Salt, acidity, nitrate/nitrite levels, and dryness of the fully cured salami combine to make the uncooked meat safe to consume.

[24] The characteristic fermented meat flavor is believed to be developed by a combination of endogenous enzymatic activities and the lactic acid produced by the starter culture.

[25] Salami will remain stable for long periods of time, as it has a low water activity and contains preservatives, colorings, flavorings, antioxidants and acidifying cultures.

[26] Semi-ripened salami will maintain its flavor for a long time under retail display conditions, but it will eventually deteriorate due to the development of incipient rancidity.

[26] The shelf life of salami is mainly determined by sensory deterioration, which is the result of various oxidation phenomena; pathogenic or spoilage bacteria do not readily proliferate in dry-cured sausage.

[26] The main cause of flavor deterioration in dry-cured sausage is rancidity, although the possible formation of other off-flavors, such as mouldy, acid, putrid or pungent traits, may contribute to the decreased quality.

[26] The use of coriander essential oil in salami has been shown to increase the higher synthetic antioxidant effect of butylated hydroxytoluene, which delays lipid oxidation and the rancid aroma and taste that come with it.

[27] Additionally, salami with coriander essential oil shows improvements in the sensory attributes of taste, odor, texture, brightness, and red color intensity.

Naples-type salami is also a popular southern Italian dry fermented sausage made of coarsely minced pork meat.

[29] In northeast Italy, traditional dry fermented salami sausages made of fresh pork display unique organoleptic sensory profiles characterized by accented acidity, slight sourness, and elastic semi hard consistency.

[25] Szegedi téliszalámi, a Hungarian winter salami, is made of raw pork, bacon, salt, spices, sugars, and sodium nitrite.

[29] This type acquires a grey mold cover on it and has a firm texture and excellent keeping quality after a 30% weight loss reached in 3 to 4 months.

[30] This type of traditional sausage, which undergoes spontaneous fermentation, is of superior quality compared to those inoculated with starters and made at industrial scale.

In Germany, Westphalian salami is made with fast technology from pork meat, pepper, garlic, and sometimes mustard seeds, and is a smoked, firm, sliceable product with a distinctly fermented/sour flavor.

[31] Fermented pork back fat that is used to make salami has very high saturated fatty acid and cholesterol content, which are believed to be risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

[34] These lower pH levels are healthier for humans as higher populations of lactic acid bacteria inhibit the spread of spoilage microorganisms.