Division 5.3 Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

‘Salame Felino’ PGI’s reputation is attested to by a copious bibliography of references and citations.

The first references date back as far as certain Latin authors of the 1st century AD (Apicus — De re coquinaria).

‘Salame Felino’ was well known in the courts that subsequently established themselves in the capital, from the Farnese to the Bourbons to Duchess Marie Louise.

The oldest depiction of the product seems to be found in the decoration of the interior of the Baptistery of Parma (1196-1307). On the frieze slab dedicated to the Aquarius sign of the zodiac, two salamis can be seen at the hearth on a rotating saucepan stand. These salamis are of a size and shape that can still be found today and are the same as those of ‘Salame Felino’ PGI.

A 1766 census of the pig population revealed that the Marquisate of Felino was the most lively pig market in the district. Dating from the same period are price lists for the Felino area quoting prices for lean and fatty salami. Reports of customs and culinary traditions for the early 19th century reveal that there was a distinctive method of processing pig meat into salami in the area around the town of Felino.

The entry ‘Salame Felino’ appeared in the Italian dictionary in 1905 and, in 1912, the production of salami in Felino was examined in the Ministry of Agriculture’s report on economic performance for the year.

Since 1927, the relevant local public institutions have granted salami produced in the Province of Parma the name ‘Salame Felino’. Indeed, this name must obviously have already enjoyed particular renown and reputation, and thus been particularly recognisable, if the Office and Provincial Council of the National Economy felt that promoting its commercial use was a means of boosting the prosperity of the province. Still today, the fact that the production of ‘Salame Felino’ is rooted in the territory of the Province of Parma can be seen through research and studies into the area’s gastronomic culture. Indeed, many reviews have linked ‘Salame Felino’ to the province’s gastronomy, citing it as one of Parma’s most highly appreciated sausage meat products, the quality of which is inextricably linked to the centuries-old tradition that developed and is maintained unchanged only in the valleys of the Province of Parma. To this should be added the many events that continue to be organised both in Italy and abroad by both the local and the provincial authorities of Parma in honour of ‘Salame Felino’, with stands being set up to offer tastings and information material on the characteristics of the product and its historical production in the Province of Parma.