Prosciutto
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox food
Prosciutto (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite Merriam-Webster</ref> Template:IPA<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>), 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In Italian, prosciutto means any type of ham, either dry-cured (prosciutto crudo or simply crudo) or cooked (prosciutto cotto),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=differ/> but in English-speaking countries, it usually means either Italian prosciutto crudo or similar hams made elsewhere.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Etymology
The word prosciutto derives in turn from Italian asciutto (Template:Literally), with prefix substitution,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or from Vulgar Latin pro (before) + exsuctus (past participle of exsugere, 'to suck out [the moisture]');<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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')).<ref>OED sv. prosciutto, n.; Dizionario etimologico online sv. Prosciutto, Presciutto and Prosciugare; Lewis & Short sv. ex-sūco</ref>
History
The history of prosciutto begins in pre-Roman times in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Archaeological evidence of pig farming dates back from the 11th and 8th centuries B.C. Celts settled the area around 600 B.C., changed the land and water use, and bred pigs for meat. The practice became more organized after their first contact with the Roman Empire (221 B.C.), as pork meat was a favorite in the Roman diet. The ancient Romans recognized that the local factors of low humidity, ventilation, and a hilly piedmont climate allowed for superior meat preservation, marking the origins of the specialized curing method based on the region's microclimate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 (Template:Literally). The process of making prosciutto can take from nine months to two years, depending on the size of the ham.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A writer on Italian food, Bill Buford, describes talking to an old Italian butcher who says: Template:Blockquote
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 sodium nitrite or potassium nitrate, 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.<ref name="nytimes-sandaniele">Template:Cite news</ref> 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,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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:<ref name=differ>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Template:Ill, Parma, PDO
- Template:Ill, San Daniele del Friuli, PDO
- Template:Ill, Modena, PDO
- Template:Ill, Tuscany, PDO
- Template:Ill (or Prosciutto Veneto), Veneto, PDO
- Template:Ill, near Carpegna, Montefeltro, PDO
- Template:Ill, near Amatrice, Lazio, PGI
- Template:Ill, Norcia, PGI
- Template:Ill, 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
Template:Ill 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Country | Geographical Area | Name | Geographical Indication | Year of registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | part of Dalmatia | Dalmatinski pršut | PGI | 2016 |
| Croatia | Šibenik-Knin County | Drniški pršut | PGI | 2015 |
| Croatia and Slovenia | part of Istria | Istarski pršut / Istrski pršut | PDO | 2015 |
| Slovenia | part of the Kras | Kraški pršut | PGI | 2012 |
| Croatia | Krk | Krčki pršut | PGI | 2015 |
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
External links
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