In ancient times, since they were very expensive, cured meats were consumed only on festive occasions and, especially in rural areas, had the function of exchange currency and payment for professional services, so that special attention and care was dedicated to their production. Even today, the same precautions are reserved for the packaging of the salami of Mugnano del Cardinale, in the province of Avellino, a 1300 village located at the foot of the Partenio Massif, an area characterized by light winds, which blow steadily in a southerly direction. south-west, thus avoiding stagnation of air and favoring a gradual maturation of the product, which acquires the aromas and fragrances carried by the wind through forests of beech, oak and chestnut trees.

For the production of Mugnano salami, the shoulder and the flake of ham are used, minced and mixed with hard pork fat. For the stuffing, natural casing is used, more precisely the part of the pig intestine called, "crespone", pierced and tied with natural string. Mugnano is coarse-grained and medium-sized, in fact it weighs between 200 and 500 grams, and is globular, similar to a fist. The basic elements of the packaging technique of Mugnano, over time, have spread in the neighboring municipalities, first, and throughout Campania, then, and today they are typical of Avella, Baiano, Sirignano, Sperone and, in the province of Naples, of the municipalities of Camposano, Casamarciano, Cicciano, Cimitile, Comiziano, Marigliano, Nola, San Vitaliano, Saviano, Scosciano and Tufino.