Prosciutto Toscano
Also known as: Tuscan ham, Tuscan prosciutto, Prosciutto Toscano DOP
Prosciutto Toscano is an Italian PDO ham from Tuscany: a footless heavy-pig hind leg dry-salted with salt, pepper and local herbs, aged at least 10 to 12 months.
Prosciutto Toscano (Tuscan ham, Tuscan prosciutto) is an Italian dry-cured ham made throughout Tuscany from the hind legs of heavy pigs. It is rubbed with salt plus pepper and local herbs and berries, then aged for at least 10 to 12 months. The ham is round with an arched top and carries a brand in the outline of Tuscany.
The pigs are at least 9 months old and about 160 kg live weight, Large White and Landrace, from 11 Italian regions, raised under the same rules as for Parma and San Daniele hams. A trimmed fresh leg weighs 11.8 kg or more; the trotter, rind and some inner fat are removed with a V-shaped cut.
The leg is chilled for at least a day at −2…+2 °C, trimmed into an arch and fitted with a steel «P.T.» seal showing the month and year work began. Salting must start within 120 hours of slaughter — dry, with salt, pepper and natural aromas. Then come resting, a wash in warm water without disinfectants, drying, «sugnatura» with lard, flour, salt and pepper, and ageing at 12–25 °C with ventilation. Hams of 7.5–8.5 kg age 10 months or more, heavier ones 12; hams for slicing get 2 months extra.
PDO status came with Regulation (EC) 1107/96 of 12 June 1996, and the specification was amended in 2010 and 2013. It gives no history of its own.
The cut shows bright to light red lean with little marbling and pure white fat with pink veins. The taste is delicate, with just the right saltiness and a characteristic aroma.
What sets it apart from Prosciutto di Parma and Prosciutto di San Daniele is the pepper and herbs in the salt, a shorter minimum ageing and a higher salt cap — up to 8.3 % against 4.3–6.0 % in San Daniele. Prosciutto di Modena is pear-shaped and salted with sea salt only.
The brand is burned in three lines, «PROSCIUTTO TOSCANO DOP», over the borders of Tuscany, with four stars at the upper right. Two digits give the producer number, a capital letter the month ageing began. Sliced packs are filled only in Tuscany.
Why this matters to you: the letter on the brand tells you when the ham started ageing, and the pepper and herbs in the ingredients are a rule, not a whim of the maker. If you want a prosciutto crudo with a spicier aroma, look for the four stars.
Facts
| Animal | Heavy pig aged 9+ months, 160 kg ±10 %, Large White and Landrace, from 11 Italian regions |
|---|---|
| Cut | Footless hind leg, V-cut, 11.8 kg or more fresh |
| Curing | Dry salting with salt, pepper and natural aromas within 120 h of slaughter; «sugnatura»; ageing at 12–25 °C |
| Minimum maturation | 10 months (7.5–8.5 kg) or 12 months (over 8.5 kg); +2 months for slicing |
| Region | All of Tuscany, Italy |
| Registered | PDO, Reg. (EC) 1107/96 of 12.06.1996; amended 2010 and 2013 |
| Salt per 100 g | Up to 8.3 g NaCl (specification) |
| Moisture | Up to 61.0 % in the muscle |
How it connects to Cured meats & charcuterie
Prosciutto Toscano → then → Curing of meat → kind of → 🥓 Cured meats & charcuterie
Links
- Next step
- Curing of meat
- Made from
- 🐖 Pig
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 Italians
- Part of
- Prosciutto crudo
- Similar and different
- Prosciutto di Parma
Frequently asked questions
What is Prosciutto Toscano?
An Italian PDO ham from Tuscany: a footless heavy-pig hind leg dry-salted with salt, pepper and natural aromas and aged at least 10 to 12 months.
How long is Tuscan ham aged?
Hams of 7.5–8.5 kg age at least 10 months, heavier ones 12; hams for slicing get 2 more months. It may be sold up to 30 months after work began.
How do I recognise Tuscan prosciutto in a shop?
By the three-line brand «PROSCIUTTO TOSCANO DOP» over the outline of Tuscany with four stars, plus two producer digits and a month letter.
How salty is Prosciutto Toscano?
The specification allows up to 8.3 % salt (NaCl). San Daniele, by comparison, has 4.3–6.0 %.
Is it true that Tuscan ham is just Parma ham with pepper?
No. Pepper and herbs are a required part of the salting mix, but the salt cap, minimum ageing and area — all of Tuscany — differ too.
What to read next
- 🐖 Pig — A domestic animal that feeds piglets with milk but does not provide it to humans.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Italians — The people of Italy; their cuisine rests on wine, olive oil and cheese, and in 2025 the country made 44.4 million hectolitres of wine, the most in the world.
- Curing of meat — Curing of meat is treatment with salt, often with nitrite, applied dry, as brine or by injection: salt binds water and, together with drying, makes meat suitable for long keeping.
Similar
Prosciutto di San Daniele · Prosciutto di Modena · Prosciutto di Norcia · Prosciutto di Parma · Pancetta Piacentina · Lardo di Colonnata
ℹ️ IARC (WHO) classes processed meat in Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans): each 50 g eaten daily raises colorectal cancer risk by about 18 %. Eat it in moderation.