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Prosciutto is an Italian ham that is cured and seasoned. The curing process "cooks" the ham, thus you can eat true "Prosciutto" raw. Beware though of some cheap imitations appearing on the North American markets that are labelled Prosciutto -- not out of snobbery, but out of health concerns, because some of these prosciutti cannot be eaten raw.

You probably think true Prosciutto, being a European thing, would be expensive, but the funny thing is, it doesn't actually work out to be much more than bacon. The thing is, Prosciutto slices are always sliced razor thin, and they are so flavourful that a little truly goes a long, long way.

Though cured with salt, Prosciutto generally ends up tasting sweeter and far less salty than other hams. Tuscan Prosciutto, though, is saltier. Parma Prosciutto is called "dolce" (sweet); Tuscan Prosciutto is called "saporito" (tasty, salty.) Tuscany only turns out 132,000 Prosciutto hams a year; the Parma and San Daniele regions turn out close to 11 million a year (2001 figures.) Tuscan Prosciutto is generally coated with pepper to act as a preservative. It is flavoured with salt, juniper berries, rosemary, garlic. Some producers also use vinegar, fennel and wine.

Prosciutto is generally aged for around a year before being sold, though this varies from region to region.

Prosciutto should be always be sliced paper thin. The very heart of the Prosciutto is called the "culatello."

True Prosciutto must come from the Parma region of Italy. Or at least, so say the people in Parma. Many other regions of Italy have also been PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) certified, including Tuscany in 1996, to produce Prosciutto. The Prosciutto producers' association ("Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma") has been fighting to protect and extend name protection for their product throughout the world. See the entry on PDO for more information.

As of 2004, there were approximately 5,500 farms authorized by the Consorzio to make Prosciutto. The pigs are fed cereals, and whey leftover from the making of Parmesan cheese.

The sign of Prosciutto approved by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma is a crown stamped on the meat.

Substitutes
Bauerschinken (German and Austrian "farmer's" ham).

Storage
Wrap tightly after purchase and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

History
The Romans made something very similar to Prosciutto. They called it "perna sicca".

Prosciutto has been made in the San Daniele region for thousands of years. The Celts actually settled in that area in pre-Roman times, and they taught the Romans what they knew about preserving pork with salt. In San Daniele, there is still an old Roman road called Panisperna (panis meaning bread, and perna meaning Prosciutto.) The first mention of Prosciutto in Parma dates from 100 BC.

The term "Parma Ham" was trademarked in Canada by a meat company called "Maple Leaf" in 1971. As of 2004, the "Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma" had gone to court in Canada three times to fight this -- and lost. The consortium owns the trademark in America.

Acknowlegements

Also called:

See Also:

Affettati, Iberico Ham, Protected Designation of Origin, Serrano Ham

Other entries for:

Prosciutto
Prosciutto Berico-Euganeo, Prosciutto di Carpegna, Prosciutto di Modena, Prosciutto di Pietraroja, Prosciutto di San Daniele, Prosciutto Toscano

Other entries for: Air-Cured Ham

Air-Cured Ham, Ammerländer Ham, Ardenne Ham, Bayonne Ham, Black Forest Ham, Culatello, Cumberland Ham, Extremadura Ham, Farmer's Ham, Iberico Ham, Marsh York Cure, Pikanto Ham, Prosciutto di Norcia, Serrano Ham, Teruel Ham, Trevélez Ham, Vigezzo Ham, Westphalian Ham

Other entries for:

Ham
Ardennes Dry Ham, Bradenham Ham, Brine-Cured Ham, Butt End Ham, Country Ham, Devilled Ham, Fresh Ham, Gammon, Ground Ham, Guijuelo Ham, Ham Steak, Leoncini Roasted Ham, Limerick Ham, Los Pedroches Ham, Pannonia Ham, Spanish Ham, Suffolk Cure, Taylor Pork Roll, Wachholder Ham

Other entries for: Pork

Bacon, Barrow Hog, Berkshire Pigs, Butcher Hog, Casertano Pigs, Crown Roast, Fore Hock, Gilt Hog, Ground Pork, Hog Jowl, Iberian Pigs, Kurobuta Pork, Lard, Mortadella, Oreilles de Crisse, Pickled Pork, Pig's Feet, Pork Belly, Pork Brawn, Pork Chops, Pork Crackling, Pork Cubes, Pork Cuts Illustrated -- British, Pork Hocks, Pork Leg, Pork Loin, Pork Ribs, Pork Rinds, Pork Shoulder, Pork Souse, Pork, Prime Collar, Salt Meat, Sow, Spare Ribs, Stag Hog, Streak of Lean, Tasso, Ventrèche, Zampino

Other entries for:

Meat
Affettati, Beef, Buffalo, Cap On / Cap Off, Game, Goat, Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications, Minced Meat, Offal, Paillards, Potted Meats, Poultry, Roasts, Sausages, Sheep, Steak, Veal, Venison, Yak