Is Subway Salami Made from Pork?

Subway offers a variety of meat options to customize your sandwiches. Salami is a popular choice adds a tangy, savory flavor. But is Subway’s salami made from pork? I did some digging into their ingredients and manufacturing process to find out.

What is Salami?

Salami is a cured sausage made from fermented, ground meat. Traditional salami uses pork as the major ingredient. The ground pork is mixed with salt, spices, and sometimes beef or other meats.

This mixture gets stuffed into a casing, fermented, smoked, and air-dried. The fermentation gives salami its signature tang. The smoking and drying concentrate the flavors while preserving the meat.

Prosciutto, pepperoni, soppressata, Genoa salami, and kielbasa are all types of salami. The variations come from different meat blends, spices, smoking methods, and aging times.

Subway’s Salami Ingredients

According to Subway’s website their salami contains

• Pork
• Beef
• Salt
• Spices
• Milk (lactose)
• Maltodextrin
• Dextrose
• Smoke flavoring
• Dehydrated garlic and onions
• Sugar
• Preservatives
• Starter culture

The first two ingredients listed are pork and beef This confirms Subway’s salami contains pork, as expected for this traditional cured meat

The ingredients list shows a blend of 95% pork and beef. Pork appears to make up the majority, while beef provides added fat and flavor.

Spices, garlic, smoke flavor, sugar, and curing agents complement the meat. The ingredients produce Subway’s signature tangy, mildly spicy salami flavor.

How Subway Makes Their Salami

To make their salami, Subway likely uses a traditional technique similar to this:

• Grass-fed pork and beef are ground together with fat into a paste.

• Salt, spices, sugar, curing agents, and starter culture are blended in. The salt starts curing the meat, while the culture begins fermentation.

• The meat paste gets stuffed into natural or synthetic casings to form sausages.

• The filled casings are hung to ferment for 1-3 days at cool temperatures. Fermentation develops tangy flavors.

• After fermenting, the sausages are smoked using natural wood smoke. Smoking cooks and preserves the meat while adding flavor.

• Finally, the salami links hang to air-dry for several weeks. Drying intensifies their flavor.

• The finished salami links are sliced thinly for sandwiches.

This traditional process results in Subway’s signature tangy, succulent salami with bold spice notes.

Why Salami Contains Pork

Pork plays an integral role in salami production for a few reasons:

Flavor – Pork has a milder taste compared to beef or lamb. This allows the spices and curing agents to shine. The pork fat also provides rich mouthfeel.

Texture – Pork has an ideal balance of fat and protein to form a firm but tender sausage texture after fermenting and drying. The fat keeps the salami slices supple.

Cost – Pork is typically cheaper than beef. Using mostly pork helps make salami affordable.

Tradition – Salami originated in Italy using pork. Traditional recipes call for pork as the main ingredient. Subway follows this custom by primarily using flavorful heritage breed pork.

Of course, cultural preferences and dietary restrictions also influence the choice to use pork. Subway’s salami suits the American palate, which expects a pork-based salami flavor profile.

Pork-Free Salami Options

While traditional, some avoid pork for religious, cultural, or personal reasons. Subway can accommodate by leaving salami off a sandwich.

For those who want a salami-like flavor without pork, some options include:

• Beef salami – Uses only beef as the meat. Provides a drier, more intensely beefy flavor.

• Turkey salami – Made from ground turkey seasoned similarly to pork salami. The turkey provides a leaner alternative.

• Chicken salami – Chicken salami has a reputation for an unpleasant texture, but some brands pull it off well.

• Kosher salami – Kosher laws prohibit pork, so kosher salami substitutes beef or other meats.

• Vegetarian “salami” – Meat-free versions use a soy protein base with lots of seasoning. Taste and texture aren’t quite the same as traditional salami.

While these alternative salamis exist, Subway does not offer them. Their menu sticks to traditional pork and beef salami for an authentic flavor.

Ordering Salami at Subway

Subway combines their salami with pepperoni for sandwiches. If you want that zesty salami flavor without pepperoni, ask for just salami when customizing your sub.

Be aware that many locations slice meats and cheeses using the same slicer. Cross-contamination can transfer pork residue to other sandwich ingredients. Let staff know of any pork allergy when ordering.

Subway’s Italian-style pork salami makes a satisfying addition to many subs. The fermented flavor pairs especially well with Subway’s jalapeño peppers and marinara sauce. But don’t worry – if pork doesn’t work for your diet, Subway has plenty of pork-free proteins to choose from.