Prosciutto

{{Short description|Italian dry-cured ham that is thinly sliced and served uncooked}} {{Use British English|date=January 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox food | name = Prosciutto | image = Prosciutto di Parma, ham producing.jpg | image_size = 240px | caption = ''Prosciutto di Parma'' | alternate_name = ''Prosciutto crudo'' | country = Italy | region = | creator = | course = | type = Ham | served = | main_ingredient = | variations = }}

thumb|''Prosciutto di Parma'' '''Prosciutto''' ({{IPAc-en|p|r|ə|ˈ|ʃ|uː|t|oʊ|,_|p|r|oʊ|ˈ|-}} {{respell|prə|SHOO|toh|,_|proh|-}};<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/prosciutto|title=PROSCIUTTO|work=Cambridge English Dictionary|publisher=Cambridge University Press|access-date=14 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/prosciutto |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605182852/https://www.lexico.com/definition/prosciutto |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 June 2021 |title=prosciutto |dictionary=Lexico UK English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/prosciutto |title=Prosciutto |work=Collins English Dictionary |publisher=HarperCollins |access-date=14 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster |prosciutto |access-date=14 August 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|it|proʃˈʃutto|lang}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prosciutto pronunciation in Italian |author= |work=howtopronounce.com |date= |access-date=4 November 2021 |url= https://www.howtopronounce.com/italian/prosciutto }}</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>{{cite web | url=https://www.patrimoineculinaire.ch/Prodotto/Prosciutto-crudo-della-Mesolcina/251# | title=Prosciutto crudo della Mesolcina | publisher=Culinary Heritage of Switzerland | accessdate=11 March 2023}}</ref>

In Italian, ''prosciutto'' means any type of ham, either dry-cured (''prosciutto crudo'' or simply ''crudo'') or cooked (''prosciutto cotto''),<ref>{{cite web |author= |date=n.d. |title=Prosciutto recipes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/prosciutto |accessdate=24 October 2021 |website=BBC Food |quote=Prosciutto means 'ham' in Italian and is a term particularly used to describe ham that has been seasoned, cured and air-dried. ''Prosciutto cotto'' is cooked, and ''prosciutto crudo'' is raw, although, because it has been salt-cured, it is ready to eat.}}</ref><ref name=differ/> but in English-speaking countries, it usually means either Italian ''prosciutto crudo'' or similar hams made elsewhere.<ref>{{Cite news |title=A New American Prosciutto |last=Fabricant |first=Florence |newspaper=New York Times |date=2 October 2017 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/dining/niman-ranch-prosciutto.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://productoselartesano.com.ar/producto/jamon-crudo-argentino/ |title=1st Argentinian Prosciutto |website=Jamón Crudo El Artesano}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Ακροκώλιον, το καλύτερο ελληνικό προσούτο φτιάχνεται στην Ευρυτανία (βίντεο) |author= |website=viewtag.gr |date=14 September 2016 |url= https://www.viewtag.gr/akrokolion-kalytero-elliniko-prosouto-ftiachnete-stin-evrytania/ |language=Greek |trans-title=Acrokolion, the best Greek prosciutto ({{em|προσούτο}}) made in Evritania (video)}}</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>{{Cite web |title=Prosciutto Cotto – Ingredient – FineCooking |author= |work=FineCooking |date= |access-date=27 October 2021 |url=https://www.finecooking.com/ingredient/prosciutto-cotto |archive-date=19 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319075026/https://www.finecooking.com/ingredient/prosciutto-cotto |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/304781404 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127012851/https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/304781404 |archive-date=27 January 2021 |title=Tesco Prosciutto Cotto 100G |website=Tesco |date=n.d. |author= |accessdate= 27 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Naturals Prosciutto Cotto (made in New Jersey, US) |author= |website=Rovagnati US |date= |access-date=27 October 2021 |url= https://www.rovagnati.us/product/naturals-prosciutto-cotto/}}</ref>

==Etymology== The word ''prosciutto'' derives in turn from Italian ''asciutto'' ({{literally|dry}}), with prefix substitution,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/prosciutto/|title=Prosciutto|access-date=18 December 2021|language=it}}</ref> or from Vulgar Latin ''pro'' (before) + ''exsuctus'' (past participle of ''exsugere'', 'to suck out [the moisture]');<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.archeofood.com/perna-e-perexuctus-il-prosciutto-nella-storia.html|title=Perna e Perexuctus, il Prosciutto nella Storia|access-date=18 December 2021|language=it}}</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. [http://etimo.it/?cmd=id&id=13746&md=bf5b334b7e9c7306aba943278d134d88 Prosciutto, Presciutto] and [http://etimo.it/?cmd=id&id=13745&md=cc8ef824b57ea2c585549455daee81d9 Prosciugare]; Lewis & Short sv. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Dexsuco 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 BC. Celts settled the area around 600 BC, changed the land and water use, and bred pigs for meat. The practice became more organised after their first contact with the Roman Empire (221 BC), as pork meat was a favourite in the Roman diet. The ancient Romans recognised 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>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=21 March 2022 |title=History and origins of Prosciutto di San Daniele |url=https://www.sandanielemagazine.com/en/product/history-of-prosciutto-di-san-daniele/ |access-date=7 November 2025 |website=San Daniele Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Manufacture== {{Refimprove section|date=September 2024}} thumb|Salt being added to a pork leg

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'' ({{literally|lamb ham}}). The process of making prosciutto can take from nine months to three years, depending on the size of the ham.<ref>{{cite book |last=Davidson |first=Alan |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |edition=3rd |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2014 |isbn=9780199677337 |pages=635–636}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Montagné |editor-first=Prosper |title=Larousse Gastronomique |publisher=Hamlyn |year=2009 |isbn=978-0307464910 |pages=606–607}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Disciplinare di Produzione del Prosciutto di Parma DOP |website=Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma |publisher=Italian Ministry of Agriculture |url=https://www.prosciuttodiparma.com/en/production-specifications |access-date=30 September 2025}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.prosciuttodiparma.com/en/making-parma-ham/|title=Making Parma Ham|website=Prosciuttodiparma.com|access-date=May 26, 2026}}</ref>

A writer on Italian food, Bill Buford, describes talking to an old Italian butcher who says: {{blockquote|When I was young, there was one kind of prosciutto. It was made in the winter, by hand, and aged for two years. It was sweet when you smelled it. A profound perfume. Unmistakable. To age a prosciutto is a subtle business. If it's too warm, the aging process never begins. The meat spoils. If it's too dry, the meat is ruined. It needs to be damp but cool. The summer is too hot. In the winter—that's when you make ''salumi''. Your prosciutto. Your ''soppressata''. Your sausages.<ref>Buford, Bill ''Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany'' Knopf, 2006 {{ISBN|1-4000-4120-1}}</ref>}}

According to the Consortium of Prosciutto di Parma, the only ingredients used to make prosciutto di Parma DOP are sea salt, lard, and the hind leg of pigs.

First, the legs are salted by salt master. The leg is covered with damp sea salt, while the larger muscular part is covered with dry salt. The leg is then refrigerated at a temperature ranging from 1°C to 4°C, with a humidity level of approximately 80% for a week, after which it gets a second layer of salt which is left on another two weeks. Salt is the only preservative used in the processing method, nitrites and nitrates are allowed. The ham is them hung for two to three months in refrigerated, humidity-controlled rooms, after which the remaining salt is washed off.

The ham is then hung for about 3 months in cellars, during which the exterior dries out. This drying is corrected later with the application of a mix of minced lard and salt.

Finally, the hams are hung in temprature- and humidity-controlled rooms or cellars for at least 14 months, or up to three years. At the end of this aging process, a horse bone needle, which rapidly absorbs the product fragrances, is inserted in different parts of the ham to check the quality of the prosciutto. Only then are the hams branded with the Ducal Crown symbol.

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.<ref name="auto"/>

==European Union–protected designations of origin==

===''Prosciutto crudo''=== thumb|A plate of prosciutto 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">{{cite news | url= https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/29/travel/fare-of-the-country-the-sweet-prosciutto-of-san-danieli-italy.html | title= Fare of the Country; The Sweet Prosciutto Of San Danieli, Italy | work=The New York Times | author-first1= S. Irene |author-last1=Virbila | date=29 January 1989 | access-date=9 November 2009}}</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>{{cite web |url=https://www.prosciuttodiparma.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Technical_fact_sheet_Parma_Ham_ENG_17.02.2016.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930081141/https://www.prosciuttodiparma.com/pdf/en_UK/Specifications%20short%20version.pdf|archive-date= 30 September 2018|title=Technical Fact Sheet of Parma Ham |author= |date=n.d. |website=prosciuttodiparma.com |quote=Additives: None. Only the use of salt is allowed (sodium chloride).}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prosciuttosandaniele.it/home_prosciuttosandaniele.php?n=17&l=en|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221220445/http://www.prosciuttosandaniele.it/home_prosciuttosandaniele.php?n=17&l=en|archive-date=21 December 2013 |title=Production guidelines |author= |publisher=Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele |quote=Sea salt is used exclusively for salting, as the use of other chemical substances, preservatives and additives is completely prohibited throughout the preparation.}}</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>{{Cite web |title=IBERIAN, YORK AND PARMA HAM DIFFERENCES |author= |website=Pata Negra Schinken |date=n.d.|access-date=24 October 2021 |url= https://www.patanegra-schinken.ch/en/help/unterschiede-zwischen-dem-iberischen-ham-york-und-prosciutto-von-parma-22.html}}</ref> * ''{{ill|Prosciutto di Parma|it}}'', Parma, PDO  * ''{{ill|Prosciutto di San Daniele|it}}'', San Daniele del Friuli, PDO  * ''{{ill|Prosciutto di Modena|it}}'', Modena, PDO * ''{{ill|Prosciutto toscano|it}}'', Tuscany, PDO * ''{{ill|Prosciutto Veneto Berico-Euganeo|it}}'' (or ''Prosciutto Veneto''), Veneto, PDO * ''{{ill|Prosciutto di Carpegna|it}}'', near Carpegna, Montefeltro, PDO * ''{{ill|Prosciutto amatriciano|it}}'', near Amatrice, Lazio, PGI * ''{{ill|Prosciutto di Norcia|it}}'', Norcia, PGI * ''{{ill|Prosciutto di Sauris|it}}'', 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''=== {{See also|Culatello di Zibello}} thumb|''Culaccia di Parma''

''{{ill|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 Zibello'' possesses PDO status. It is commonly served as an appetizer (antipasto).

''Strolghino'' is a salami prepared from leftover cuts of ''culatello''.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tsjgAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Strolghino%22 | title=Slow food revolution | pages=78| last1=Petrini | first1=Carlo | last2=Padovani | first2=Gigi | date=17 October 2006 | publisher=Rizzoli | isbn=9780847828739 }}</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>{{Cite web |last=Rowlands |first=Marc |date=10 April 2020 |title=Croatia's best delicacies: Dalmatian prosciutto |url=https://www.timeout.com/croatia/news/croatias-best-delicacies-dalmatian-prosciutto-041020 |website=Time Out}}</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>{{Cite web |title=Kraški pršut PGI |author= |work=European Commission |date=25 July 2020 |url= https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/food-safety-and-quality/certification/quality-labels/eu-quality-food-and-drink/kraski-prsut-pgi_en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.croatiaweek.com/dalmatian-prsut-given-eu-protection-status/|title=Dalmatian Pršut Given EU Protection Status|website=Croatia Week|date=February 15, 2016}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |+ ''Pršut'' with PGI and PDO |- ! 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== {{Portal|Italy|Food}} * 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== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== {{refbegin}} * {{cite q|qid=Q7090985}} * {{cite book |last=McGee |first=Harold |title=On Food and Cooking |edition=Revised |publisher=Scribner |location=New York, NY |year=2004 |isbn=0-684-80001-2}} {{refend}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Ham from Italy}} {{Cookbook|Prosciutto}} * {{cite web |title=Official website (in English) of Prosciutto di Parma |url=http://www.prosciuttodiparma.com/en_UK/home |website=Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma |publisher=Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma |access-date=1 October 2025}} * {{cite web |title=Official website of Prosciutto di San Daniele |language=en |url=https://www.prosciuttosandaniele.it/en/ |website=Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele |publisher=Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele |access-date=1 October 2025}}

Category:Italian cuisine Category:Croatian cuisine Category:Slovenian cuisine Category:Montenegrin cuisine Category:Salumi Category:Smoked meat Category:Dry-cured hams