What Is Chocolate Salami (And What Does It Taste Like)?

Chocolate salami sounds strange. After all, while chocolate is used in many different savory recipes, from chili to chicken mole, it's not a typical ingredient in salami, that spicy fermented and air-dried pork sausage that comes from Italy, per DeLallo.  But chocolate salami has nothing to do with the spicy pork meat and doesn't necessarily belong on a charcuterie board. (Well, it can if you include desserts in yours.)

So what is chocolate salami, and what does it taste like?

This sweet treat is a dessert. It's actually made of chocolate that is shaped to look like an uncut salami, with a white coating that looks like the mold on salami and a rounded sausage shape, according to Giada De Laurentiis of Food Network. And chocolate salami is a delicious addition to any cookie tray (or make it for an April Fool's joke!) during the holidays or anytime. It may look like salami, but it's a type of candy that's easy to make and fun to eat. Furthermore, it requires no cooking; all you do is melt chocolate and stir in lots of goodies. 

According to Salon, the history of chocolate salami began, of course, in Italy. It also has incarnations in Portugal and Russia. This candy is made of melted chocolate with nuts and crushed cookies mixed into it. The mixture is chilled, then formed into a thick fat sausage shape. Powdered sugar is rubbed on the surface; then, it's chilled again and sliced into thick rounds to serve.

You can flavor it any way you like and use nuts and crushed cookies, from gingersnaps to roasted almonds and even macadamia nuts. It's traditionally made with almonds, walnuts, and crushed biscotti, a crisp Italian cookie that is double-baked for extra crunch.

The recipe can even include dried fruits and other types of cookies or cakes. For different versions, add dried ladyfingers, dried cherries, and pistachios, per America's Test Kitchen, or even candied ginger and amaretto, in this recipe from PBS.

So what does it taste like? Well, that depends on what you put into it, per Lifehacker. If you use dark chocolate, each bite is rich and smooth with a bit of a snap. The nuts and crushed cookies add crunch and add more flavor. The salami will taste slightly bitter and even more flavorful if you add liqueurs. Think of chocolate candy from your favorite chocolate shop full of nuts and crunchy additions.

To make your chocolate salami, start by chopping up some quality chocolate; you can choose the darkness you like, although it's traditionally made with dark chocolate. Melt it in the microwave or on the stovetop until smooth. You can even add sweetened condensed milk, per the Washington Post. Then add chopped nuts, crushed cookies, dried fruits (or prunes and graham crackers, according to California Prunes), liqueurs, and some butter for smoothness, and then chill.