L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano P r o s c i u t t o c r u d o , k n o w n simply as "pro- s c i u t t o " o r "Parma ham" in English-speaking countries, is one of our Made in Italy's most renowned products. Who doesn't know it or has- n't tried it in a sandwich, on a pizza or layered delicately o n a p l a t e , f o r a p e r f e c t snack with fresh bread and some parmigiano? Prosciutto crudo is pro- d u c e d i n s e v e r a l a r e a s o f Italy, including Tuscany and t h e C u n e o p r o v i n c e o f Piemonte, but there are only two parts of the country that a r e s y n o n y m w i t h i t : P a r m a , i n E m i l i a R o m a g n a , a n d S a n Daniele, in Friuli Venezia- Giulia. Both products hold a D O P d e n o m i n a t i o n (Denominazione di Origine P r o t e t t a ) , w h i c h m e a n s every step of their produc- t i o n m u s t t a k e p l a c e i n a specific geographical area – m o s t o f t h e p r o v i n c e o f Parma for the first, the com- mune of San Daniele for the second. Both have a long history of quality steeped t r a d i t i o n . Y e t , t h e r e a r e some differences worth not- ing, too. Let's start with their his- t o r y . M e n t i o n s o f c u r i n g procedures used to preserve meat are available in ancient s o u r c e s f r o m R o m a n times. Cato the Elder – we are in the 2nd century BC - for instance, had described a preserving method for pig legs very similar to the one used, still today, to make prosciutto. About a century l a t e r , i n 3 7 B C , V a r r o offered, in his De Rustica a recipe to season, cure and dry pig legs the way com- monly used in the Po plains, including the area we know today as the Parma province. Legends say that, after Hannibal had vanquished the Romans along the river Trebbia (which flows in Lig- uria and Emilia Romagna), locals showed their respects by offering him salted and c u r e d p i g l e g s , w h i c h h e greatly enjoyed. J u s t l i k e t h e P i a n u r a Padana, the area around San Daniele in Friuli is histori- cally connected with the pro- duction of meat products: according to the prosciutto di San Daniele official web- site, archeological research c a r r i e d o u t i n t h e v i l l a g e shows that pork was com- monly consumed in the area a l r e a d y i n p r o t o - h i s t o r i c times, between the 11th and t h e 8 t h c e n t u r y B C , w i t h some signs that curing and preserving of meat was also carried out. However, it is only in the 11th century, with the rise in relevance of San Daniele as a market town, that the art of meat curing seems to take hold in the area more strongly. With the Renaissance, prosciutto con- sumption – and therefore its p r o d u c t i o n - w a s a l r e a d y well established in the area, a s a t t e s t e d i n G e r e m i a Simenoni's De Conservan- da Sanitate, dating 1453. We also know that San Daniele prosciutto was gifted to the bishops gathered in Trento for the 1563 Council, and that Napoleon had a pen- chant for this flavorsome Friulan cold cut. B e s i d e s t h e i r l o n g a n d glorious history and their D O P d e n o m i n a t i o n , p r o - sciutto di Parma and San Daniele also share the "raw material" they are produced with: pig hind legs, but here differences begin showing. First of all, the size of the leg, which is usually around 10 kg (20 lbs) for prosciutto di Parma, and around 12 (24 lbs) for San Daniele. The way the legs are cured is also different: while San Daniele prosciutto is seasoned only with dry sea salt all-over, the Parma recipe calls for damp sea salt for the skin and dry for the meat. Both recipes a r e c l e a r o n o n e p o i n t though: besides meat and pure sea salt, nothing else can be added. D r y i n g t i m e l a s t s f o r a minimum of 13 months for S a n D a n i e l e , w h i l e i t i s slightly shorter for Parma, which is left out to dry for seven months and then hung in the dark for another five to reach complete matura- tion. We are talking, here t o o , o f m i n i m u m t i m e s . There are factors to consider when discussing the impor- tant stagionatura process, namely the size of the pro- sciutto – the bigger it is, the longer it'll take to dry – and the climate of the regions where San Daniele and pro- sciutto di Parma are pro- duced: San Daniele prosciut- t o m a t u r e s i n a d r y , semi-Alpine climate, so it t e n d s t o b e s l i g h t l y d r i e r a n d , i n g e n e r a l , m o r e mature than Parma when aged the same time. Pro - s c i u t t o d i P a r m a , o n t h e other hand, matures in the Pianura Padana, where the air is more humid, so it takes a t a d l o n g e r t o d r y , a n d tends to have a softer slice. When it comes to the area of production, prosciutto di Parma, as we mentioned, is made almost in the entire h o m o n y m o u s p r o v i n c e , while San Daniele can only be produced in the area of the San Daniele commune; it's not surprising, then, that we can count about 150 pro- sciutto di Parma DOP pro- ducers but only 28 for San Daniele. Both products have, however, their own Consor- tium, which safeguards their quality. You may like to know that the two products are distin- g u i s h a b l e a l s o a t t h e c o u n t e r , b e c a u s e o f t h e i r slightly different shape: pro- s c i u t t o d i P a r m a i s m o r e rounded, while San Daniele l o o k s m o r e " e l o n g a t e d , " because of the habit to press it during the curing period. And what about the taste? They are, of course, both delicious: flavorsome, com- plex and satisfying to the palate, Parma is considered "sweeter" while San Daniele more "mature." The battle of prosciutto: are you for San Daniele or Parma? FRANCESCA BEZZONE Checking prosciutto legs: there are slightly different curing and drying methods for prosciutto di Parma and San Daniele (Photo: Dreamstime Agency/Dreamstime) LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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