Saucisson de Lacaune

Saucisson de Lacaune (Saucisse de Lacaune, Lacaune saucisson) is a coarse-ground French dry sausage from the Monts de Lacaune in the Tarn department, PGI since 2015. Noble cuts of pork and back fat are seasoned only with salt, pepper and nutmeg and dried in local mountain drying rooms.

The area is tiny: 11 communes of the cantons of Lacaune and Murat-sur-Vèbre, Barre, Berlats, Escroux, Espérausses, Gijounet, Lacaune, Moulin-Mage, Murat-sur-Vèbre, Nages, Senaux and Viane. Coarse grinding, the specification says, is a local tradition, so the grain of the mix is visible to the naked eye on the cut.

Ham, shoulder and loin of pigs or sows are used; meat from mature animals makes up at least 30 % of the lean. A saucisson is at least 80 % lean, the rest back fat; a saucisse at least 70 %, the rest back fat or belly. The lean is mixed within 6 days of slaughter, stays in a chilled stiffened state for no more than 3 days, and the mincer plate is 8 mm or more.

Besides salt, pepper and nutmeg, saltpetre, lactic starter cultures, sugars and noble moulds (the white bloom on the casing) are allowed, helping fermentation and ripening. The mix is stuffed into natural casings, then comes étuvage and drying. The minimum cycle, according to the specification, depends on weight: a saucisson of 200–350 g takes 18 days, 350–700 g 21, 700–1,500 g 30, 1,500–2,000 g 40, over 2 kg 45; a horseshoe, straight or «perche» saucisse 10 days. There is no smoke: this is not Smoking of meat but slow drying, close to classic Curing of meat.

Next to a UK or US salami or pepperoni, Lacaune saucisson stands out for its visible coarse grain: the mincer plate is 8 mm or more, and the seasoning is only salt, pepper and nutmeg. Compared with Saucisson sec d'Auvergne, Lacaune has no garlic and a coarse grain. Saucisson de l'Ardèche requires pre-salting of the lean and allows saltpetre as the only additive, while Lacaune also permits starter cultures and sugars. The overall picture is on the page Saucisson sec, and the Italian relatives are gathered on the page Salami.

In the UK and US it is found at the deli counter, in the packed charcuterie aisle and in French food shops. There is no mandatory wording beyond general rules, so go by the name and the PGI logo (Protected Geographical Indication). The visible coarse grain on the cut is the signature. The stick may be brushed, washed or powdered; if it is sliced outside the area, the slices are packed under vacuum or protective atmosphere.

Why this matters to you: the short seasoning list, salt, pepper and nutmeg, means the taste comes from the pig and the drying time. And the weight on the label tells you how long the sausage dried: from 10 days for a thin saucisse to 45 for a large stick. The wider circle is on the page Dry-cured sausages.

The drying rooms sit inside the Monts de Lacaune themselves, and the climate in them is managed by a daily intake of outside air. The Syndicat des salaisons de Lacaune watches over the name, and its members cover the whole chain: breeders, feed makers, two abattoirs, two cutters and six curers. The scale is small. In 2016 six approved producers made 48 tonnes of sausage and 48 tonnes of dry ham, 30% more than in 2015.