Saucisse Seche
Cured meats, if they are unsliced, can be kept for weeks.
Historically, the whole point of curing meat is to preserve it and we’ve got salami in our cellar that have been there for over a year. They will gradually dry out but are delicious. So, how to store them at home? I am imagining that most people don’t have a cellar so, as long as you will eat your salami over the course of a month, keep it wrapped up in wax paper and in the kitchen.
If you don’t have wax paper then greaseproof paper and a tea towel will do just as well. Like this your salami is always at the perfect temperature for nibbling on and there’s no chance of you forgetting about it. You will probably need to discard the outer slice when you come to cut some but don’t bother putting it in the fridge – it will only dry out.
Mould
If, when you unwrap your salami, the rind has developed some bluish mould, DONT PANIC. Mould is an integral part of making quality salami and is perfectly natural. Pierre Oteiza has a machine much like an enormous, automatic shoe brush through which all the salami pass before being sent to us. This removes the mould but, if there is still adequate moisture in the salami, more will develop over time and can be removed with a brush or cloth.
The only salami risks becoming too dry if left for a long time is the Saucisse Seche. This style of salami, as the name suggests, is dry and, being long and thin, will therefore lose moisture faster than the others. We would suggest you eat this within 2–3 weeks of purchase.