My Grandparents Beginning

This is the church my grandfather, Carmine Perri, married my grandmother Antionietta Tomaino on December 9th, 1939.

Back in 1939, WWII was off in the distance, Germany had invaded Poland about three months before my grandparents got married. Italy didn't start into the war until later in 1940. What a tumultuous time! My Grandfather was drafted and subsequently wounded in the war. He carried British shrapnel in his leg the rest of his life.

Right now, in the neighborhoods around this church, many families are tending to cured sausage and salami that were stuffed and hung last month. For ground products, like salami, these first weeks are critical. Temperature and humidity need to be correct to get the right amount of moisture transfer out of the meat. If it goes too fast, you will get a hard outer shell, called case hardening. The inside of the salami will have air pockets and ultimately could spoil. If it goes too slowly, you could have other issues that make salami taste less than ideal.