Good salami makes or breaks a sandwich or a charcuterie board. That’s why we took it upon ourselves to taste all the salami we could get our hands on in Portland. We tested a national brand, Columbus, alongside a range of locally made salamis including charcuterie home team Olympia Provisions (tagline: "American charcuterie"), and independently owned delis like Piccone’s Corner and Edelweiss, who ferment their own meats in-house—a not-so-easy process requiring state licensing and science-lab-like temperature control and recordkeeping. Here’s what to stock (and not stock) in your fridge.

BEST SALAMI

Salame Piedmontese by Piccone’s Corner

This fancy pick is distinct looking, nearly rectangular and dark purple-red. But its perfect spicing, reminiscent of a fruitcake or pumpkin spice, and smooth feel on the tongue set it apart—so much so that all of our testers came back for another slice. (Editor's note:  This is the ultimate sign of Taste Test dominance.) “This would be really good on a fall charcuterie board,” concluded one tester.

Soppressata by Columbus

This bargain-priced salami, sold as a room-temperature log of meat at grocery chains, was a surprising crowd favorite thanks to its texture and flavor. “Even though the texture looks more coarse and you can see all these chunks of fat, the texture in your mouth is a lot smoother, like the fat helps bind it together,” said a tester. It’s bright, brick red with a well-balanced blend of spices, with tasting notes ranging from barbecue to chorizo to pepperoni.

Divisive Salami

Finocchiona by Piccone’s Corner

This salami is small, round, and red, with large chunks of fat. The namesake fennel flavor here is mild, but the pork flavor is pronounced and clear. While one tester complained of an oily coating left behind in her mouth, another said, “What? I love this one!” We concluded that this particular cured meat is an acquired taste. 

Ok Salami

Wine-Cured Salami by Edelweiss 

Our hopes were high for this salami, which earned raves from Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. But rather than the notes of wines we expected, we got a smoky flavor that some likened to pepperoni, and one described as “the inside of an oak barrel.” And it crumbles in the mouth. “It tastes very middle-class,” one taster aptly noted, which is to say that it lacked the dimension, funk, and cohesive texture we’d expected from this brownish-red salami with finely ground bits of fat.

Finocchiona by Olympia Provisions

Expectations were high because Olympia Provisions is ground zero for cured meats around town, but this particular salami fell a bit flat. We found it a bit oily, and not in a good way. We also couldn’t detect any fennel flavor. If this sounds like déjà vu, you're right: we had a similar experience with an Olympia Provisions hot dog at a summer Taste Test.

Salami to Avoid

Classic Salami by Coro

Portland’s cured meats easily stomped out this salami from Seattle. Despite its classy, piccolo salami look, the flavor was overly tangy. “It’s super-briny,” said a tester. “It’s funky, and vinegary like an olive." Another announced, “I would avoid eating that again, to be honest."