L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES TONI BRANCATISANO S an Daniele del Friuli is a beauti- ful, quaint small t o w n i n I t a l y ' s northern region Friuli Venezia Giulia, in the province of Udine. It is situ- ated on the top of a hill, half- way between the mountains and the Adriatic Sea, near the Tagliamento River, which is the biggest river in the region of Friuli. It is a town rich in medieval history and artistic treasures such as the frescoes i n s i d e t h e t i n y c h u r c h o f Sant' Antonio Abate, other- w i s e c a l l e d t h e " S i s t i n e Chapel of Friuli," and the Guarneriana Library (one of the oldest in Italy). Founded in 1466, this library contains more than 12,000 antique books including a priceless manuscript of Dante's Infer- no. T h e r e i s o n e t r e a s u r e , though, that more than oth- e r s h a s m a d e t h i s t o w n famous all over the world: the delicious Prosciutto di San Daniele D.O.P. I was lucky enough to visit o n e o f t h e p r o d u c e r s o f Prosciutto di San Daniele, the tour made even more special by the tasting that followed. It was a wonderful experi- ence to see first-hand the making of something that I buy frequently throughout the week, if not every day, at least every second day. Prosciutto is the Italian word for ham. Prosciutto C r u d o i s a n I t a l i a n d r y - cured ham that is usually served raw and thinly sliced. The word crudo means raw, a s o p p o s e d t o p r o s c i u t t o cotto, which is cooked. It is characterised by a pinkish- r e d c o l o r a n d i s s l i g h t l y veined with thin streaks of fat. The fat or lard around it, which is pure white, is delica- te and complements the meat so, when eating Prosciutto Crudo, both the meat and the fat should be enjoyed together. Prosciutto Crudo is eaten either wrapped around grissini and, in the Summer, i s o f t e n p a i r e d w i t h c a n - taloupe melon or fresh figs. M o s t c o m m o n l y t h o u g h t h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r , Prosciutto Crudo is simply enjoyed as a sandwich filler, often paired with mozzarella inside two slices of rustic Italian bread. Prosciutto Crudo is perfect at any time of the day and can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch and din- ner, and is also commonly enjoyed during an Italian Aperitivo. The geographical location of San Daniele del Friuli and the micro-climate that exists t h e r e i s f u n d a m e n t a l l y important for the production and aging of Prosciutto di San Daniele. The cold winds that blow down from the Alps meet the breeze from the A d r i a t i c S e a , w h i l e t h e T a g l i a m e n t o R i v e r i n t h e middle ensures the air has a certain amount of humidity and is never too dry. So the o n l y i n g r e d i e n t s t h a t a r e required to make Prosciutto Crudo are the hind legs of Italian pigs, sea salt and the magical air of San Daniele del Friuli. No chemicals, additives or p r e s e r v a t i v e s a r e u s e d throughout the production of Prosciutto di San Daniele, w h i c h c a n o n l y b e m a d e using the hind legs of pigs that are born, bred and also slaughtered in Italy. It is important to talk about the p i g s , b e c a u s e i f t h e m a i n ingredient isn't of an excel- lent quality, one can't expect t o p r o d u c e a n e x c e l l e n t Prosciutto di San Daniele. The pigs can only come from ten regions in Italy: Friuli V e n e z i a G i u l i a , V e n e t o , Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio, A b r u z z o , M a r c h e , a n d Umbria. The diet of the pigs is obviously under strict con- t r o l a n d a l l t h e p h a s e s required to achieve a pro- sciutto leg worthy of the SAN DANIELE DOP brand at the end of 13 months are con- trolled by rigid regulations. There are only 31 produc- ers that are recognized by the Consortium San Daniele (il Consorzio del Prosciutto di S a n D a n i e l e ) . T h e Consortium is an association Checking the quality of Prosciutto San Daniele (Photo: Dreamstime Agency/Dreamstime) Prosciutto San Daniele DOP Continued to page 28

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