The winners of the first-ever World Charcuterie Awards were announced yesterday in London, England, at the Specialty & Fine Food Fair. The new competition included 400 products submitted from producers in 17 countries, with a panel of 40-plus expert judges naming the top overall prize to Spanish producer JOVIRA, S.A. for its Jamon De Bellota 100% Iberico.
The judges selected 17 gold, 52 silver, and 54 bronze medals from 12 countries, including 11 products from Italy and seven from the United States. Fra’ Mani, the Berkeley, CA company known for its salumi, took home five top awards, including a Gold Medal for its Toscano salame — which also earned Best in Class for Salami — and bronze medals for its Salametto Piccante, Calabrese, Nostrano, and Spicy Capicollo.
Another U.S. brand, Duluth, MN’s Northern Waters Smokehaus, earned a silver medal for its salamini, and bronze for pepperoni. Italy, with six brands winning a total of 11 medals, and Spain, also with 11 winners from six brands, were the top vote-getters from the European mainland. England, which of course hosted the competition, dominated with 68 award winners.
According to the WCA, products were judged on taste, length of flavor, mouthfeel, appearance, tradition, and innovation. The eight classes in the judging process included air-dried and cooked hams, salamis, and bacon, made from meat, game, or poultry.
Fra’ Mani, which Appetito previously covered for their clever nationwide mortadella sandwich contest, was launched in 2006 by chef and cookbook author Paul Bertolli. The gold-winning Toscano is described as being “inspired by Tuscan tradition” and “made with lean cuts of pork and a touch of pearly white fat for a unique taste and texture. It’s seasoned with red wine, black pepper, garlic, and sea salt.” The Toscano and select bronze-winning salumi from Fra’ Mani is available on their site.
For all the winners and more information, check out the World Charcuterie Awards website.
