Well, this was a gift, and I asked for it to arrive around Thanksgiving. It came early, and the person receiving the gift was not surprised. The invoice was marked as not a gift, but I distinctly and purposefully indicated this was a gift. Anyway, the salami is very hard. It's not like the salami we got in the past. I suspect it's older to be 'stale' like that. It was have been a more pleasant experience, when paying a premium, to get fresher salami and have it shipped according to the instructions.