Pršut

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''), but in English-speaking countries, it usually means either Italian ''prosciutto crudo'' or similar hams made elsewhere. 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 he 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')).

Manufacture

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 two years, depending on the size of the ham.

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

Today, the ham is first cleaned, salted, and left for about two months. During this time, the ham is pressed gradually and carefully to drain all blood left in the meat without breaking the bone. Next, it is washed several times to remove the salt and is hung in a dark, well-ventilated environment. The surrounding air is important to the final quality of the ham; the best results are obtained in a cold climate. The ham is then left until dry. The time this takes varies, depending on the local climate and size of the ham. When the ham is completely dry, it is hung to air, either at room temperature or in a controlled environment, for up to 18 months.

Prosciutto is sometimes cured with nitrites (either sodium or potassium), 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.

European Union–protected designations of origin

''Prosciutto crudo''

Under the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union (EU), certain well-established meat products, including some local prosciutto, are covered by a protected designation of origin (PDO) and other, less stringent designations of geographical origin for traditional specialties. Various regions have their own PDO, whose specifications do not generally require ham from free range pigs. The simple Italian description ''prosciutto'', used alone or with ''crudo'' or ''cotto'', is not in itself a protected term.

The two famous types of Italian ''prosciutto crudo'' are: ''prosciutto crudo di Parma'', from Parma, and ''prosciutto crudo di San Daniele'', from the San Daniele del Friuli area, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. ''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
* ', San Daniele del Friuli, PDO
* ', 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''

' 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:

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

* McGee, Harold. ''On Food and Cooking (revised)''. New York, New York: Scribner, 2004. .

External links

Official website (in English) of prosciutto di Parma

Official website (in English) of prosciutto di San Daniele

{{Ham

Italian cuisine
Croatian cuisine
Slovenian cuisine
Montenegrin cuisine
Salumi
Smoked meat
Ham

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