Prosciutto di Parma Dop

Two thousand years of history testify the success of the Prosciutto di Parma: Marco Terenzio Varrano, in the 1st century B.C. presented the inhabitants of the Gallia Padana as being great experts in the production of pork hams, in his “De Rustica”, so expert that the hams were exported to Rome. Even the writings of historians such as Polibio, Strabone and Catone il Censore confirm this term. An epigraph which can be seen at the Capitoline Museums recites the menu of the day: chicken, fish and ham. The Longobards were consumers of savage pork meat which was salted and transformed in ham, lard and sausages, but the Longobards of the Pianura Padana were eased by the use of salt because they could extract it from the saline sources such as those of Salsomaggiore, near Parma. Here, in particular environmental conditions, natural and human which characterise the area, the Prosciutto di Parma finds its historical origins, whose ham was later diffused in Italy and the world.

Consumption

The best way to taste the refined taste of the Prosciutto di Parma is by slicing the ham and eating it raw, or accompanied with bread or melon, figs and exotic fruits. Both white and red wines perfectly accompany this ham: the red wines of Toscana, the whites of Veneto or Alsazia, and the wines of Lorena and last but not least, champagne. If the ham is to be consumed at lunch, white wine is more indicated, if it is served at supper red wine is better recommended.

Conservation

Once the bones have been taken off, the Prosciutto di Parma can be conserved for 6 months in a refrigerator, at a temperature between 4 and 8°C. Only whole ham with the bones can be hung in rooms at a temperature of 17 to 20°C, until 12 months; once it is cut it must be kept in a refrigerator for a month, and must be wrapped in a transparent foil. If the product is pre-packed, it can be kept for at least 3 days at temperature of 1 to 4°C.

Production

Fresh hind legs must not weigh less than 10 kg, while the end product must weigh between 8 to 10 kilos and not less than 7. After slaughtering, the hind legs are isolated and put in cellars at a temperature of 0 for 24 hours. Trimming follows, with the exportation of fat and of the pigskin to favour the salting phase and to confer the typical shape of a hen’s leg. Successive salting has a duration of 21 to 25 days, and a resting period for two or three months favours the penetration and distribution of the salt. After washing, the pre-maturation period starts, which is effected in big rooms with windows where the hams are hung to so-called “scalere”. The hams are put in lard to soften the superficial striations and towards the seventh month the real maturation period starts, with the transfer of the hams in fresher and less ventilated areas; during this period operations called “sondaggio" occur. At the 12th month the hams are sealed with the Ducal Crown, in respect of the requisites of the production regulation.

by NATURALMENTE ITALIANO