A chocolate salami is, quite simply, a dessert made of chocolate and crushed biscuits rolled in caster sugar to resemble a salami. Although many variations of the dessert exist in European and South American countries, Italy and Portugal are the ones believed to be the pioneers in the Chocolate Salami making. Here in Portugal, you can buy individual slices of it in almost every supermarket and pastelaria, and they are even better when paired with a cup of Portuguese coffee.
Where to Find Chocolate Salami in Portugal?
Pastry shops are one of my favourite places to go when visiting a new country, apart from having a sweet tooth I find it fascinating to see how pastries and deserts can vary from one country to another. In Portugal, pastry shops are called pastelarias, they can be found on every corner, and are a great display of the country’s tradition with food. From pastries created in convents, to regionally praised sweets, there are a great variety of things you can find in a traditional pastelaria. But, if your goal is to try something chocolatey and typically Portuguese, there are only a few things you can choose from. Salame de Chocolate is one of them!
Chocolate Salami Recipe
Traditionally, the Portuguese chocolate salami is made of cocoa powder, sugar, raw eggs, butter, and Marie biscuit – a biscuit similar to rich tea biscuits. For this recipe, I decided to use dark and milk chocolate instead of cocoa powder, what makes this a richer more chocolatey flavour and texture. The chocolate is moist enough to bind everything together, making the raw eggs unnecessary. I also added some Portuguese brandy to make it a bit boozy, and some chopped almonds, but both are optional. This Chocolate Salami is delicious and simple to make, it doesn’t require any baking and even the less confident in the kitchen can make it!
How to Make Authentic Portuguese Chocolate Salami
Portuguese Chocolate Salami Recipe – Salame de Chocolate
6
servings10
minutes1
hour230
kcalChocolate salami is a traditional no-bake dessert from Portugal! Chocolate, biscuits and nuts combine to make a chocolate salami that’s sliced and eaten!
Ingredients
125 g Dark Chocolate
125 g Milk Chocolate
100 g Room Temperature Butter
100 g Marie Biscuits
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1.5 tbsp Brandy
50 g Roasted Almonds
Caster Sugar
Directions
- Start by cutting the chocolate bars into equal-size pieces, add it to a microwave safe bowl, then, microwave it for a minute on high power. Stir it, and if necessary, microwave it again in 30-second intervals, until smooth.
- Add the room temperature butter to the melted chocolate, stir well to combine.
- Use a food processor to crush the biscuits into medium size pieces. Alternatively, you can place the biscuits in a Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to pound them.
- Add the crushed biscuits, almonds, brandy, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to your chocolate mixture, stir well. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Add the chocolate mixture to a sheet of parchment paper or cling film. Use the paper to shape it into an approximately 5cm diameter tight log. Pop it in the fridge for another 30 minutes before you roll it again, smoothing it. Place it in the fridge again, let it chill for at least 6 hours.
- Remove it from the fridge 15 minutes before serving. Roll it in caster sugar to get that salami look. If the salami is too hard to slice, you can steam your knife with the help of a small pot with boiling water before cutting it.
Is Chocolate Salami popular in your country? How different is it to the Portuguese? Let me know in the comments!
Delicious!