Griffith’s salami shootout cooks up local pride in search for sausage with the most sizzle

Every region in NSW has its own peculiar claim to fame. In Griffith, it’s the Festa del Salsicce, the hotly-contested salami competition where family pride is on the line.

Every region in NSW has its own peculiar claim to fame and in Griffith it is the Festa del Salsicce – the coveted and hotly competed salami competition.

On the Sunday after The Daily Telegraph Bush Summit the town’s Italian families will roll out their homemade salamis for judging that pits tightly held recipes passed down from generation to generation.

“A lot of people put capsicum in their salamis, but we don’t,” Ferruccio Fattore, 78, said. “We put in chillies, salt and pepper. It’s just a plain recipe.”

But the exact proportions and ingredients are a tightly-held family secret.

“I started making salami when I was 16,” Ferruccio’s brother Domenico, 83, said. “Dad taught me. Every year we make salami the old way.”

Dominic Fattore (left) with his brother Ferruccio Fattore with their salami which is maturing, ahead of the Italian Festival in Griffith. The festival started in 1972 as their family tried to settle once and for all with another Italian family over who made the best salami. Picture: Jonathan Ng

What started out as a friendly competition between local families quickly grew into a fiercely contested annual rivalry. The salamis are now judged by an expert panel with the winners announced at a long Sunday lunch.

Local winemaker John Casella, who bottles 36,000 bottles of his globally recognised Yellowtail wine an hour at his Griffith winery, 24-hours a day, five days a week, sponsors the salami competition.

“Tickets for the lunch are sold out and we have a waiting list of more than 350 people,” Mr Casella said. “It has really taken off in recent years.”

Mr Casella believes it is more than just a competition. It is the glue that keeps the community together and an attraction that brings newcomers to the area.

“Just like the Bush Summit it has an economic and a social benefit for Griffith,” Mr Casella said. “Not everybody can live next to the coast. Regional areas offer a better lifestyle.”

Once visitors see what is on offer, many want to stay. “We need a long term vision for the regions. In Griffith we need a university and there should be more emphasis on rail to keep trucks off the road,” he said.

The Daily Telegraph’s 2022 Bush Summit will be streamed online live and free on Friday August 26. Register to watch here: https://bushsummit2022-dailytelegraph.splashthat.com/