Tempesta Artisan Salumi Charcuterie Sampler

There's a butcher shop in Chicago that's been making salami the way it's supposed to be made. Not the way it's faster to make it, or cheaper, or easier to scale up for national distribution. Just the right way.

Tempesta dry-cures their meat. They let it ferment naturally. They age it until it's ready. These aren't revolutionary techniques - this is how Italians and Spanish have been doing it for centuries. But in America, where most salami gets pumped full of water to add weight and rushed to market before it's developed any real character, doing things the traditional way is becoming rare.

This sampler has five different styles. Each one tells you something about where it comes from and who made it.

The Salami Di Manzo is made from beef instead of pork. It's got a deeper, more substantial flavor - the kind of thing that makes you slow down while you're eating it.

The 'Nduja comes from Calabria, where they make their salami spreadable and spicy. You can put it on bread, stir it into eggs, work it into pasta. It has some heat to it, but it's not just about being spicy - there's richness there too.

The Nostrano is a classic Italian salami with garlic and wine. It's the kind of thing that's been made in small towns for generations, and you can taste why it's lasted.

The Sopressata is coarsely ground, the way salami used to be before everything got processed into paste. The spicing is balanced. It doesn't try to do too much.

The Chorizo is Spanish-style - cured, not fresh - with smoky paprika running through it. It's got its own personality.

You could put these on a board with some cheese and bread and olives. You could eat them straight. You could share them with people who know the difference between real salami and what passes for it at most grocery stores.

Made in Chicago by Tempesta Artisan Salumi.