thumb|Prosciutto di Parma

Prosciutto ( ; ), also known as prosciutto crudo, is an uncooked, unsmoked, and dry-cured ham. It is usually served thinly sliced.

Several regions in Italy have their own variations of prosciutto crudo, each with degrees of protected status, but the most prized are Prosciutto di Parma DOP, from Emilia-Romagna, and Prosciutto di San Daniele DOP, from Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Unlike speck (Speck Alto Adige) from the South Tyrol region, prosciutto is not smoked. There is also a tradition of making prosciutto in southern Switzerland.

In Italian, prosciutto means any type of ham, either dry-cured (prosciutto crudo or simply crudo) or cooked (prosciutto cotto), However, the word prosciutto itself is not protected; cooked ham may legally be, and in practice is, sold as prosciutto (usually as prosciutto cotto, and from Italy or made in the Italian style) in English-speaking regions.

Etymology

The word prosciutto derives in turn from Italian asciutto (), with prefix substitution, or from Vulgar Latin pro (before) + exsuctus (past participle of exsugere, 'to suck out [the moisture]'); the Portuguese presunto has the same etymology. It is similar to the modern Italian verb prosciugare ('to dry thoroughly'; from Latin pro + exsucare ('to extract the juices from')).

History

The history of prosciutto begins in pre-Roman times in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Archaeological evidence of pig farming dates back from the 11th and 8th centuries BC. Celts settled the area around 600 BC, changed the land and water use, and bred pigs for meat. The practice became more organised after their first contact with the Roman Empire (221 BC), as pork meat was a favourite in the Roman diet. The ancient Romans recognised that the local factors of low humidity, ventilation, and a hilly piedmont climate allowed for superior meat preservation, marking the origins of the specialized curing method based on the region's microclimate.

Manufacture

thumb|Salt being added to a pork leg

Prosciutto is made from either a pig's or a wild boar's hind leg or thigh, and the base term prosciutto specifically refers to this product. Prosciutto may also be made using the hind leg of other animals, in which case the name of the animal is included in the name of the product, for example prosciutto di agnello (). The process of making prosciutto can take from nine months to three years, depending on the size of the ham.

A writer on Italian food, Bill Buford, describes talking to an old Italian butcher who says:

According to the Consortium of Prosciutto di Parma, the only ingredients used to make prosciutto di Parma DOP are sea salt, lard, and the hind leg of pigs.

First, the legs are salted by salt master. The leg is covered with damp sea salt, while the larger muscular part is covered with dry salt. The leg is then refrigerated at a temperature ranging from 1°C to 4°C, with a humidity level of approximately 80% for a week, after which it gets a second layer of salt which is left on another two weeks. Salt is the only preservative used in the processing method, nitrites and nitrates are allowed. The ham is them hung for two to three months in refrigerated, humidity-controlled rooms, after which the remaining salt is washed off.

The ham is then hung for about 3 months in cellars, during which the exterior dries out. This drying is corrected later with the application of a mix of minced lard and salt.

Finally, the hams are hung in temprature- and humidity-controlled rooms or cellars for at least 14 months, or up to three years. At the end of this aging process, a horse bone needle, which rapidly absorbs the product fragrances, is inserted in different parts of the ham to check the quality of the prosciutto. Only then are the hams branded with the Ducal Crown symbol.

Prosciutto is sometimes cured with sodium nitrite or potassium nitrate, which are generally used in other hams to produce the desired rosy colour and unique flavour, but only sea salt is used in protected designation of origin (PDO) hams. Such rosy pigmentation is produced by a direct chemical reaction of nitric oxide with myoglobin to form nitrosomyoglobin, followed by concentration of the pigments due to drying. Bacteria convert the added nitrite or nitrate to nitric oxide. Prosciutto di Parma has a slightly nutty flavour from the Parmesan whey that is sometimes added to the pigs' diet. Prosciutto di San Daniele is darker, and sweeter in flavour. For both of them, the product regulations allow salt as the only additive to the meat, prohibiting additives such as nitrite and nitrate that are often used in unprotected products.

European protected designation of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indication (PGI) apply for several prosciutto varieties in Italy, each slightly different in colour, flavour, and texture:

  • ', Parma, PDO <!-- this is a circular link, so ill is appropriate -->
  • ', San Daniele del Friuli, PDO <!-- this is a circular link, so ill is appropriate -->
  • ', Modena, PDO
  • ', Tuscany, PDO
  • ' (or Prosciutto Veneto), Veneto, PDO
  • ', near Carpegna, Montefeltro, PDO
  • ', near Amatrice, Lazio, PGI
  • ', Norcia, PGI
  • ', Sauris, PGI
  • Prosciutto crudo di Cuneo, Cuneo, PDO
  • Valle d'Aosta Jambon de Bosses, Aosta Valley, PDO
  • Prosciutto di suino nero dei Nebrodi, Sicily, PDO
  • Cinta Senese, Tuscany, PDO
  • Prosciutto di Bassiano, Lazio
  • Prosciutto di Venticano, Campania
  • Prosciutto di Faeto, Apulia
  • Prosciutto della Majella, Abruzzo
  • Prosciutto di suino nero Casertano, Campania
  • Prosciutto crudo dell'Irpinia, Campania

Culatello

thumb|Culaccia di Parma

' is similar to prosciutto, but is made from the filet or loin of the hind leg. It is aged in a cow or pig's bladder as a casing to prevent spoilage and contamination. Culatello di Zibello possesses PDO status. It is commonly served as an appetizer (antipasto).

Strolghino is a salami prepared from leftover cuts of culatello.

Pršut

Prosciutto, locally called pršut, is produced in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia (especially the Karst Plateau and the Vipava Valley), and Croatia (Dalmatia, the island of Krk, and Istria). Pršut from Dalmatia and Herzegovina are smoked, unlike the Italian product, while that from Slovenia, Istria, and Krk is not smoked. The mountain village of Njeguši, in Montenegro, produces the smoked njeguški pršut.

The following types of pršut have a protected status in the European Union and the UK:

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Pršut with PGI and PDO

|-

! Country!! Geographical Area !! Name !! Geographical Indication !! Year of registration

|-

| Croatia || part of Dalmatia || Dalmatinski pršut || PGI|| 2016

|-

| Croatia || Šibenik-Knin County || Drniški pršut || PGI || 2015

|-

| Croatia and Slovenia || part of Istria || Istarski pršut / Istrski pršut || PDO|| 2015

|-

| Slovenia || part of the Kras || Kraški pršut || PGI || 2012

|-

| Croatia || Krk || Krčki pršut || PGI || 2015

|}

See also

  • List of hams
  • List of dried foods
  • List of smoked foods
  • Jamón serrano – Spanish dry-cured ham
  • Jamón ibérico – type of cured pork leg product
  • Presunto – Portuguese dry-cured ham

References

Further reading