Some of the Best Italian Brands You Can (Maybe) Get in the U.S.
The Opinions of One Salerno Salumeria
I grew up in a proud, Italian American household. My father’s side of the family has roots in the U.S. that go further back, but all his ancestors are Italian. My mother’s side is much more recently arrived, as her parents immigrated not long after the Second World War, and she herself is first generation born. My childhood was filled with raucous family dinners, homemade wine, fresh garden vegetables, and a never-ending drive to pursue those things considered “Authentic Italian.”
The lengths to which my grandparents would go for Italian goods and products to satisfy their high standards were pretty astounding. Most cities (even mid-size cities like our hometown of Buffalo, NY) have import and specialty stores, so those would do in a pinch. But my grandparents were also big on value shopping. To this end, the net they cast included securing memberships to wholesale stores for restaurants, befriending the owners of local, family-owned Italian importers and distributors, and even making monthly trips into Ontario, Canada to stock up on 20–30 loaves at a time of “the good Canada bread,” which surpassed in quality anything we could get locally.
My formative years observing this behavior from my family gave me a taste for quality in my Italian goods. As…
