Prosciutto di San Daniele

Prosciutto di San Daniele (San Daniele ham) is an Italian dry-cured ham from the town of San Daniele del Friuli in the province of Udine. It is made only from the hind leg of heavy pigs, salted with sea salt alone and aged for at least 400 days. The trotter stays on, which gives the ham its familiar guitar shape.

The pigs must be at least 9 months old: Italian Large White, Landrace and Duroc, pure or crossed. They are born, raised and slaughtered in 10 regions, from Friuli to Lazio. A fresh leg weighs 11.8–18 kg and must reach the plant within 5 days of slaughter.

The recipe is as short as they come: leg and sea salt, no additives, no preservatives. This is classic curing of meat in two salt layers, no longer than one day per kilo in total. The leg then rests for at least 75 days, is washed and dried, and the exposed lean is sealed with «sugna», a paste of lard, salt, pepper and flour. The fire brand goes on once 400 days have passed since salting began; hams for slicing need 430, and the big «Seicento» legs (16–18 kg fresh) age for 600 days or more.

San Daniele is made in a single municipality above the Tagliamento river, where Alpine air meets breezes from the Adriatic. The specification mentions a Celtic habit of salting pig legs, gifts to the Venetian Doges and the Council of Trent, and the year 1797, when General Massena seized these hams. PDO status came with Regulation (EC) 1107/96 of 12 June 1996.

Cut open, the meat is rosy red with light marbling, the fat white, the texture tender. The taste, in the specification's words, is delicately sweet with a more marked aftertaste.

You will not mix it up with Prosciutto di Parma: the Parma ham is round, has no trotter, carries a ducal crown and ages from 14 months. Prosciutto Toscano is salted with pepper and herbs and may hold up to 8.3 % salt, against 4.3–6.0 % in San Daniele. Prosciutto di Modena is pear-shaped and also footless.

On the rind, look for the round fire brand: the words «Prosciutto di San Daniele» around a stylised ham with the letters «SD», and the producer's code under the trotter. The ingredients read only «coscia di suino italiano, sale marino» — Italian pork leg and sea salt. Slicing and packing happen only in the production area, and the pack must show the brand.

Why this matters to you: if the ingredients list anything beyond pork and salt, or the rind lacks the «SD» circle, you are looking at some other prosciutto crudo. The trotter and the guitar outline help you pick out a whole leg among other dry-cured hams and shoulders from across the room.