When Lisa Simpson is explaining to her dad, Homer, that pork, bacon and ham all come from the same animal, he replies in disbelief that it’s ‘some wonderful, magical animal!’
Homer’s right. Where would we be without the many splendid pig products that dominate this category? In recent years, imported Spanish jamón and Italian prosciutto have been the crowd favourites. Yes, jamón ibérico de bellota, three-year-old ham from the acorn-fed free-range black pigs that roam southern Spain’s oak forests, is worth the fuss and extravagant amount of money it commands. And if you get the chance, have a ‘prosciutto off ’ – pitting Parma’s finest against the best from San Daniele, but don’t forget to include some of the local product too. Italian artisans such as Pino Tomini Foresti, from Pino’s Dolce Vita, use recipes handed down over several generations to make fine home-grown prosciutto. And then we’re a fan of butchers such as Olympic Continental Delicatessen and Butcher in Bankstown, Euro Taste Deli and Krakus-Lawson Brothers, who make a wonderful range of European smallgoods.
With a little pâté to start, you can have a wonderful, magical meal by simply shopping in the places that follow.
AC Butchery
AC’s Marrickville factory still churns out a rotating and seasonal selection of sausages, regarded by many as the best in town. There are 21 varieties – at last count – including the perennial favourites pork and fennel, chicken and rocket, and duck, orange zest, pistachio and brandy. As well as sausages and the usual AC suspects, Arnaldo Colaiacomo makes his own bacon and pancetta, hams and guanciale, all hanging on display in true independent butcher form. Brought in are the prosciutto, sopressa and a range of salume from South Australia. Also at: Shop 15, Norton Plaza, 55 Norton Street, Leichhardt, 9550 9030; 22 Plumer Road, Rose Bay, 9363 4971; Shop 14, 425–429 Bourke Street, Surry Hills, 9326 9309.
LEICHHARDT
174 Marion Street • 9569 8687
Mon–Fri 6am–6pm; Sat 6am–3pm
Map INNER WEST
Bavarian Smallgoods and Butchery
Ricky and Anne Roessler would like to make one thing clear: everything you see in the cabinet here is made onsite. They get so many queries about it that they’ve even erected a sign behind the counter. Perusing the selection on display is like reading a glossary of German smallgoods, with more bratwursts, mettwursts and leberwursts (like the calf liver and chive version) than we thought possible. The kirschwasser (made with pork and cherry water) and Hungarian-style kolbasz salamis are popular among regulars, but it’s hard to pass up the rich, dark beauty of the Black Forest ham.
ERMINGTON
Shop 4, 39 Bartlett Street • 9638 7809
Tues–Fri 9am–5pm; Sat 8am–midday
Betta Meats
The emphasis here is on Yugoslav-style smallgoods such as kranjske kobasice, lovacka kobasice, gypsy salami and smoked speck. These are all made on the premises and this butcher does its own smoking too; you can even buy a huge bag of real lard for just $4. They also sell pickles, syrups, relishes, mineral water and other pantry items from the former Yugoslavia. The real draw though, aside from these goodies and all the delicious meats, is the vibrant Rita Mitko. Originally from the Ukraine, she’ll tempt you to taste their cvarci (deep-fried pork crackling) as you make all-important purchasing decisions.
NEWTOWN
407 King Street • 9557 3354
Mon–Fri 8am–5.30pm; Sat 6am–1pm
Map INNER SOUTH
Ivan’s Butchery
After 50 years in the business, Croatian-born Ivan Spehar knows a thing or two about meat. Whether you visit his original Chester Hill shop or head to the Fairfield outpost, you’re sure to be greeted by a hunger-inducing sight. Slabs of speck, smoked ribs and sausages hang from the ceiling, and the hot-food counter is filled with hunks of juicy roast pork belly. There’s a global range of smallgoods, from Zagreb salami to mortadella, plus hard-to-find cuts such as trotters and whole pigs’ heads. Go all out and buy a pork leg to make your own prosciutto, or simply stock up on mustards, pickles and homemade pastry. Also at: Neeta City Shopping Complex, Smart Street, Fairfield, 9725 7427.
CHESTER HILL
141 Waldron Road • 9645 5099
Mon–Wed & Fri 6am–6pm; Thurs 6am–7pm;
Sat 6am–4pm
Euro Master Smallgoods & Fine Foods
Next year, Euro Master celebrates 60 years making salami, sausages, hams and bacon. Affable butcher Greg Fitzpatrick follows in his father Brian’s footsteps, producing around 80 different European treats. If you’ve had a Harry’s Cafe hotdog or Belgian Beer Cafe sausage, you’ve sampled their efforts. It’s an impressive list, from a coarse German pâté to pfeiffer schinken (air-dried pepper ham), bresaola and prosciutto, smoked kassler rib and pastrami. The sausages have earned almost as many medals as Ian Thorpe, especially the German bratwurst; then there are Swiss cervelas, kransky and fresh sausages such as Italian pork and veal. They’re all good.
LIVERPOOL
35 Scott Street • 9602 8172
Mon–Fri 5am–1pm
Map WESTERN SUBURBS
Lazar’s Butchery
The scent of smoked meat pervades the room at Serbian-born Peter Acic’s shop. His smoky pork products, including maturing Dalmatian prosciutto and csabai, are completely hand-crafted and hang from rails and trolleys around the small shop. For more than 20 years, Peter has been smoking and fermenting his own sausages and now there are smoked pork necks and trotters as well. He makes his own white speck, a salted white pork fat, which is smoked using sawdust that he imports from Austria. Don’t walk past this little smoky hole in the wall.
PETERSHAM
262 Stanmore Road • 9560 6680
Mon–Fri 8am–5pm; Sat 7am–3pm
Map INNER WEST
Pino’s Dolce Vita
Seventh-generation butcher Pino Tomini Foresti and his family offer more than 75 fresh sausage varieties at their Italian emporium (including those named for top-chef customers such as Armando Percuoco, Sean Moran and Stefano Manfredi). If you’re feeling creative, you can even design your own. Traditional methods and top-quality ingredients – such as Bangalow pork, Isola Chianina beef, Gundooee organic wagyu – are the key to Pino’s house-cured prosciutto, hams and salami. Ready-to-cook involtini and meatballs are the next best thing to having a nonna of your own, and you can also pick up all the necessary extras – oils, antipasti, cheeses and pasta – to complete your Italian festa.
KOGARAH
45 President Avenue • 9587 4818
Mon–Fri 8am–5.30pm; Sat 8am–2.30pm
Map SOUTHERN SUBURBS
Rudi’s Continental Butchery
‘The beauty of German food is nothing changes,’ says owner Stefan Birmili. All your European favourites are here: bratwurst, kransky, weisswurst and blutwurst (black pudding). Popular items include the Nuernberger bratwurst – a pork and veal sausage flavoured with marjoram and spices – and the wood-smoked continental frankfurt. The Kirrawee roll is a German specialty (gefüllter schweinebauch), a meatloaf made from pork spare rib, mustard seed, gherkin, pepper and a dash of rum. You’ll also find gypsy hams, salami and cold cut roasts. Ham-on-the-bone used to only be available at Christmas, but it was so popular it’s now available year-round.
KIRRAWEE
148 Oak Road • 9521 1414
Mon–Fri 7.30am–5.30pm; Sat 7am–12.30pm
Map SOUTHERN SUBURBS