Prosciutto crudo

Prosciutto crudo is Italian raw, that is uncooked, dry-cured ham: the hind leg of a pig is salted, dried and aged for many months and eaten in thin slices, unlike Salami, which is made of minced meat. Italy protects several names, among them Parma, San Daniele, Toscano and Modena as PDOs and Norcia as a PGI. ¹²³⁵⁶

The heavy pig. For Parma the legs come from heavy pigs born, raised and slaughtered in 11 Italian regions, sired by Italian Large White, Landrace or Duroc boars, at least 9 months old, with a carcass of 110.1 to 180.0 kg. Their feed may be a liquid mash made with whey, and at least half of its dry matter must come from the breeding area. San Daniele also takes pigs of at least 9 months, and Toscano pigs weigh about 160 kg. ¹²³

Parma, step by step. The leg is chilled and trimmed into the rounded «chicken thigh» shape, then salted twice, only with sea salt; salting and rest, the cold phase, last at least 90 days. Then it is washed, dried and matured, and its cracks are sealed with sugnatura, a paste of lard. After 14 months and an inspection the ham, now 8.2 to 12.5 kg, is fire-branded with the ducal crown; no preservatives or additives are allowed. ¹⁴

Traceability. The breeder tattoos both hind legs of the piglet with his code and the month of birth, the slaughterhouse brands each trimmed leg with PP and its own code, a metal seal with the letters CPP marks the start of curing, and the five-point crown carries the producer's code. Pre-sliced packs carry a black triangle with the crown. The consortium, founded in 1963, today represents 127 producers. ⁴

Where Parma is made. All processing, including slicing and packing, takes place only in the province of Parma south of the Via Emilia, at least 5 km from it and no higher than 900 m, between the river Enza and the Stirone stream. The pigs may come from a wider area of Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont, Molise, Umbria, Tuscany, Marche, Abruzzo and Lazio. ¹

San Daniele. It is made only in the commune of San Daniele del Friuli, on a moraine hill by the river Tagliamento, and keeps the foot and its «guitar» shape. The legs are massaged and salted with sea salt for at most one day per kilogram, rest at least 75 days and age to at least 400 days, 430 days for slicing and 600 for the «Seicento» category. The ham weighs 8.3 to 12.8 kg and holds 4.3 to 6.0% salt. ²

Toscano and Norcia. Prosciutto Toscano is made across Tuscany from heavy Large White and Landrace pigs; it is cut into an arch with a V, salted dry with salt, pepper and natural plant aromas, weighs at least 7.5 kg and has at most 8.3% salt. Prosciutto di Norcia is cured above 500 m in Norcia, Preci, Cascia, Monteleone di Spoleto and Poggiodomo; pepper makes up 0.5 to 2% of the salt, garlic up to 2% is allowed, and it ages at least 12 months. ³⁵

How to serve and keep it. The Parma consortium advises paper-thin slices at room temperature with the band of fat left on; for an antipasto three or four slices with Italian cheeses and bread, or wrapped around figs or melon, with white wine. Boneless Parma keeps up to 6 months in its vacuum pack at 8 °C and about a month once opened, with the cut wrapped in film, and should not be frozen. Spanish Jamón differs in the pig's breed, feed and ageing; see also Dry-cured hams and shoulders. ⁴

Why it matters to you. «Prosciutto crudo» is not the same as Parma: each name has its own pigs, salt, shape and brand, so read the name and look for the crown, the SD mark or «Prosciutto Toscano DOP». Finished Parma holds 4.2 to 6.0% salt and Toscano up to 8.3%. More on the pig, salt and method in the theme Cured meats & charcuterie and on the page Curing of meat. ¹²³ WHO classes processed meat, ham included, as carcinogenic to humans, and the risk grows with the amount eaten. ⁷