Salami
Meat
Salami is a fermented, air-dried sausage that is cured rather than cooked, as are pepperoni and cured chorizo. In pregnancy it is best eaten cooked — on a pizza, in a bake — rather than straight from the pack.
Why it's good in pregnancy
Salami gives a concentrated hit of protein, zinc and B12, and a few slices crisped on a pizza or stirred into a tomato sauce add a lot of flavour for little effort. Cooking it first removes the parasite and bacteria concerns without losing much of that.
Key nutrients
Serving ideas
Safety
Because salami is dried and fermented rather than cooked, it can carry the toxoplasma parasite and listeria, both of which can harm a baby during pregnancy. NHS advice is to avoid cold cured meats such as salami, pepperoni, chorizo and prosciutto unless they are cooked — freezing them for four days before eating also kills toxoplasma, though not listeria. Once the slices are heated until steaming hot, on a pizza, in a pasta bake or in a frying pan, they are safe. It is also very high in salt and saturated fat, so keep it as an occasional ingredient rather than a snack.
Eat salami and other cured sausages only once cooked until steaming hot.Cooked on a pizza or in a pasta bake it is fine.Cold slices carry toxoplasma and listeria risks.Store salami in the fridge, keep it well wrapped and use it within the pack date once opened. Cook it until it crisps and sizzles — the slices should be too hot to touch, not just warmed through. If you want it cold, freeze the pack for at least four days first to deal with toxoplasma, but remember the listeria risk remains, so cooked is the safer route. Pepperoni on a takeaway pizza is fine because it goes through the oven.