For generations, the famed Calabrian butchers of Spilinga have made the deliciously spreadable, piquant pork salami known as ‘nduja (en-DOO-ja) — about as authentic an expression of place as food anywhere allows.
From Calabria. It wouldn’t be authentic without the piquant peppers of our native Calabria. Nothing tastes as good.
Nothing fancy. The kind from the ocean. No other weird stuff added.
Just pork. We use heritage breads, like Berkshire, Duroc, Tamworth, and Red Wattle. No antibiotics. No hormones. And always humanely-raised.
‘Nduja was born of necessity. In the hill towns above Calabria’s Tyrrhenian coast, farming families wasted nothing. Especially our village, Spilinga. The lesser offcuts of the pig were ground fine, folded with sea salt and a heavy hand of sun-dried Calabrian chilies, and packed into casings to cure. The peppers did double work: they carried the heat that still defines ‘nduja, and they kept the meat through lean winters. Months of slow aging did the rest—the fat turned silky, the color deepened to a smoldering red, and the bite softened into something slow and lasting. Spread it across warm bread and it melts like butter.
This is the salume my family grew up on. For five generations, we made it in that tradition — the recipe passed down at the kitchen table, kept by memory.
When my father Agostino came to the US, he searched for it everywhere and found nothing close. So we made it ourselves — and we did it the right way: heritage pork from Midwestern family farms, Calabrese chili peppers from our nonno’s garden, Trapani sea salt, and the patience to let flavor come on its own time.
That’s the ‘nduja they put in my hands. More than a century on, I still make it the way they did. By hand. With fire. And with time.
— Antonio “Tony” Fiasche Jr.
The key to pairing with ‘nduja is avoiding tannin and hop bitterness, which only amplify the burn, in favor of bright acidity, a touch of sweetness, and lively carbonation that cut the fat and cool the heat.
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: None
Serves 8 (makes about ⅔ cup)
Ingredients:
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Use it just like mayo. Try it on grilled cheese, or a reuben with Tempesta Wagyu Pastrami. Dip your fries in it. The world is your oyster. Go nuts.
Bleecker Street – New York, NY
Tempesta ‘Nduja in Orba, aged 4-6 months in the traditional casing.
From neighborhood markets to nationally beloved grocers, Tempesta’s award-winning ‘nduja and salumi is carried by retailers who care about provenance as much as we do.
It all started here. ‘Nduja, the spicy, spreadable salami. The crown jewel of our Calabrian roots and the signature product on which our company was founded. Perfect on its own, with bread, pizza, pasta, eggs, or wherever you want a hit of savory spice. Delicious simplicity.
