September 7th is National Salami Day.

Calling all meat lovers! Today is the national day of recognition for our favorite savory Italian sausage. Salami is a broad term, pertaining to “all kinds of salted meats”, hence the origin of the word, “sale” (meaning salt). Traditional Italian salamis vary– the term salami extends to a plethora of salted and spiced meats, undergoing a process of grinding, before being cased and left to undergo natural fermentation. Tastes better than it sounds, right?

If you’ve felt any certain hankering for a plate of salty salami on crackers but haven’t had the time to stop by your local deli, look no further than our favorite sausage-facts! Though they extend to meats beyond sausages, these five meaty facts are cured to satisfy your cravings:

1. Sausages were called bangers during World War II because they contained so much water they exploded when fried!– Source.

2. The longest sausage measured 38.99 miles in length and was created in Ploiesti City, Romania on December 1st, 2014. The sausage, which was made of raw minced meat, weighed nearly 45 tons. — Source.

3. Germany has a “Sausage Academy,” where students may earn a certificate in sausage expertise. Based in Neumarkt, the academy gives students the opportunity to become a sausage expert, offering diploma courses covering which lagers, mustards and types of music go best with different varieties of sausage. So far 1,300 students have gained the diploma.– Source. 

4. On 22 July 2001, the record for the most sausages eaten in one minute was set. At the Ericsson Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, Stefan Paladin managed to scarf eight entire sausages, each measuring ten centimeters in length and two centimeters in width. That averages 7.5 seconds per sausage!– Source.

5. Otto von Bismarck once challenged a political rival to a duel, but backed out after learning that his opponent chose to fight with two pork sausages, one infected with roundworm.– Source. (Okay, maybe this one isn’t all that appetizing– but, it is entertaining!)