THE friendly rivalry that was the catalyst for the Festa Delle Salsicce (Festival of the Sausage) lives on.
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The festival formed after two friends – Roy Catanzariti and the late Tony Fattore – had an amicable disagreement about who made the best salami – southern or northern Italians.
On Sunday, the festival was held for the 17th time and Ferruccio Fattore - Tony’s brother - took out the crown for best salami.
"Its an honour because Tony was my brother and it shows and means I can carry on our family's tradition in his name," Mr Fattore said.
“It means a lot to me,” he said.
Mr Fattore has been making salami for 70 years and learnt the secret recipe from his father when he was young.
The festival was the hottest ticket in town, selling out months in advance.
Locals and tourists arrived by the busload, with about 1100 hungry people flocking to Pioneer Park for the Festa Delle Salsicce (Festival of the Sausage).
The popular festival has become much more than a friendly rivalry and has grown from its humble beginnings of eight salami entries and 60 people to 150 salami entries and more than 1000 people.
The good-natured tension on who makes the best salami between the northern and southern Italians continues with Mr Fattore hailing from Abruzzo, east of Rome.
Along with the winning title Mr Fattore receives a $2000 prize while second place wins $700 and third place receives $300.
Second place went to Roy Catanzariti and third place went to Torren Sergi.
Twenty-four judges made up the judging panel who judged the cured meat and gave a score out of 30, comprised of up to 10 points each for texture, aroma and taste.
Event co-ordinator Roy Catanzariti said it was once again a success, with each year the event growing and tickets always selling out.
Delicious food was once again ingrained into Griffith’s makeup with festival goers treated to a truckload of salami, a four-course meal, polished off with biscotti, crostoli and tea and coffee for dessert.
The crowd was kept entertained with live music and they were treated to a delicious meal.