Today we celebrate Salami Day, a delicious and spicy cured Italian sausage, a perfect pair for wine and cheese especially when you are entertaining. This is observed annually on September 7th.
Salami is typically a type of cured sausage consisting of fermented and air-dried meat, usually pork. Salami was popular among the southern, eastern, and central European peasants because it can be stored at room temperature for up to 40 days once cut, supplementing a potentially meager or inconsistent supply of fresh meat.
Worldwide, the many different versions of sausage each have their own cultural and flavor profiles. Additionally, each sausage has its own type of seasonings and amount of salt, making each flavor and texture unique.
Though completely uncooked, salami is not raw, but cured. Salame Cotto—typical of the Piedmont region in Italy—is cooked or smoked before or after curing to impart a specific flavor, but not for any benefit of cooking. Before cooking, a cotto salame is considered raw and not ready to eat.
Many aspects of salami that can be considered both negative and positive to human health. Salami has been found to be a possible allergen to some people due to the use of penicillium species mold starter during the drying and curing portion of processing to add flavor and stop the growth of undesirable molds. Fermented pork back fat that is used to make salami has very high saturated fatty acid and cholesterol content, which are popularly believed to increase the risk of heart disease and pancreatitis.
Studies show anyways, that processed meat is not really good for us due to the preservatives they use for longer storage. We can always consume processed meat in moderation, so today celebrate this day by grabbing a sandwich with salami on it and show some picture using #SalamiDay.
1977 Carter agrees to transfer Panama Canal to Panama
On this day in 1977, President Jimmy Carter signs a treaty that will give Panama control over the Panama Canal beginning in the year 2000. The treaty ended an agreement signed in 1904 between then-President Theodore Roosevelt and Panama, which gave the U.S. the right to build the canal and a renewable lease to control five miles of land along either side of it.
The desire for a shorter route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans had a long history, beginning with the Spanish explorers of the 16th century. Before the canal was built, ships were required to travel around the treacherous Cape Horn of South America, a journey that frequently resulted in great loss of life and cargo. From 1869 to 1877, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant authorized no less than seven feasibility studies of a canal across the thin Panamanian isthmus. In 1881, a French consortium of investors hired Suez Canal designer Ferdinand de Lesseps to build a canal through Panama. The French project was called off in 1888, however, after workers died by the thousands from disease and construction accidents.
In 1904, building a canal across Panama became a pet project of President Theodore Roosevelt; the effort was led by American engineer John Stevens. Although death from jungle diseases decreased with the implementation of an improved sanitation system, designed by Dr. William Gorgas, the project dragged on so long that Stevens quit in despair. In November 1906, in an attempt to boost flagging morale and dwindling Congressional support for the project, Roosevelt visited and posed for photographs at the site, sitting at the controls of an enormous earth-moving tractor.
(excerpted from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/carter-agrees-to-transfer-panama-canal-to-panama)
