Prosciutto

Prosciutto crudo, in English often shortened toprosciutto(/prəˈʃuːtoʊ,proʊˈ-/prə-SHOO-toh, proh-,Italian:[proʃˈʃutto]),is uncooked, unsmoked, and dry-curedham.Prosciutto crudois usually served thinly sliced.
Several regions in Italy have their own variations ofprosciutto crudo, each with degrees ofprotected status, but the most prized areProsciutto di ParmaDOP, fromEmilia-Romagna, andProsciutto di San DanieleDOP, fromFriuli-Venezia Giulia. Unlike speck (Speck Alto Adige) from theSouth Tyrolregion, prosciutto is not smoked. There is also a tradition ofmaking prosciuttoin southern Switzerland.
InItalian,prosciuttomeans any type of ham, either dry-cured (prosciutto crudoor simplycrudo) or cooked (prosciutto cotto),but in English-speaking countries, it usually means either Italianprosciutto crudoor similar hams made elsewhere.However, the wordprosciuttoitself is not protected; cooked ham may legally be, and in practice is, sold asprosciutto(usually asprosciutto cotto, and from Italy or made in the Italian style) in English-speaking regions.
The wordprosciuttoderives in turn fromItalianasciutto(lit.'dry'), withprefixsubstitution,or fromVulgar Latinpro(before) +exsuctus(past participle ofexsugere, 'to suck out [the moisture]');the Portuguesepresuntohas the same etymology. It is similar to the modern Italian verbprosciugare('to dry thoroughly'; fromLatinpro+exsucare('to extract the juices from')).
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 exampleprosciutto di agnello(lit.'lamb ham'). 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 withnitrites(eithersodiumorpotassium), which are generally used in other hams to produce the desired rosy colour and unique flavour, but onlysea saltis used inprotected designation of origin(PDO) hams. Such rosy pigmentation is produced by a direct chemical reaction of nitric oxide withmyoglobinto form nitrosomyoglobin, followed by concentration of the pigments due to drying. Bacteria convert the added nitrite or nitrate to nitric oxide.
Under theCommon Agricultural Policyof theEuropean Union(EU), certain well-established meat products, including some local prosciutto, are covered by aprotected 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 fromfree rangepigs. The simple Italian descriptionprosciutto, used alone or withcrudoorcotto, is not in itself a protected term.
The two famous types of Italianprosciutto crudoare:prosciutto crudo di Parma, fromParma, andprosciutto crudo di San Daniele, from theSan Daniele del Friuliarea, in theFriuli-Venezia Giuliaregion.Prosciutto di Parmahas a slightly nutty flavour from theParmesanwhey that is sometimes added to the pigs' diet.Prosciutto di San Danieleis 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) andprotected geographical indication(PGI) apply for several prosciutto varieties in Italy, each slightly different in colour, flavour, and texture:
Culatello con cotenna[it]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 Zibellopossesses PDO status. It is commonly served as anappetizer(antipasto).
Strolghinois a salami prepared from leftover cuts ofculatello.
Prosciutto, locally calledpršut, is produced inMontenegro,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Slovenia(especially theKarst Plateauand theVipava Valley), andCroatia(Dalmatia, the island ofKrk, andIstria).Pršutfrom Dalmatia andHerzegovinaare smoked, unlike the Italian product, while that from Slovenia, Istria, and Krk is not smoked.The mountain village ofNjeguši, in Montenegro, produces the smokednjeguški pršut.
The following types ofpršuthave aprotected status in the European Unionand the UK: