Tasty tradition rolls on

Families around the Lower South West are donning aprons and dusting off grandparents’ recipes this month to enjoy the tradition of salami making.

Manjimup’s Tony Serafini said his father started making salami in Manjimup after migrating from Italy when Mr Serafini was just two years old.

“We are keeping a tradition of a recipe that’s passed on from father to son and every family’s would be a little bit different,” he said.

Mr Serafini said the most valuable part of the tradition was the emphasis on family and friends.

“It’s a sharing thing, that’s the good thing about it — to share it with people,” he said.

For Merv Blechynden, another Manjimup local, salami making has become an important family event despite not being part of his own heritage.

Mr Blechynden said he learnt the art of salami making from Pemberton local Vince Agastini 25 years ago, and has made salami with family ever since.

“There were three generations there this year, and the young kids love it as well,” he said. “It’s a great weekend, we’re very lucky, I think this is a good thing about multiculturalism, to share these family traditions.”