Parma ham is famous and expensive from Italy

Parma ham (Prosciutto di Parma) is a special Italian ham , also known as salted and dried pork leg, when eaten, it is sliced ​​thinly and eaten immediately, without processing. This type of meat is a famous and expensive culinary specialty in the world, originating from the Central and Northern regions of Italy, where there are places such as Parma, Venezia, San Daniele... Due to geographical features, Parma is the place with the most suitable weather conditions, so the food here is especially delicious. In the Parma region, there are more than 200 establishments producing this top dish. 

There are many adjectives that can be used to praise Parma ham, including high quality, delicate, sweet, chewy, low in calories, no preservatives and additives... The four indispensable ingredients of Parma ham are fresh pork, salt, clean air and time. The production process of the dish requires a long time to dry, usually from 8 months to 2 years, after going through an elaborate production process.

To produce a piece of pure salted pork and to keep the meat sweet and chewy, the craftsman needs a high level of skill and meticulousness, as well as experience. The meat must be carefully controlled so that the meat parts absorb enough salt. When finished, each Parma ham will have lost more than a quarter of its weight, but in return the meat is very chewy, delicious and has a special aroma.

Parma ham takes the meat from the hindquarters of each pig, which must be Duroc or Landrance pork. The pigs are fed exclusively on grain, mainly wheat flour, to ensure they have plenty of calcium. When they reach the required weight, each leg weighs about 12 to 14 kg, they are sent to the slaughterhouse and then to the processing plant. The skin is wet-salted and the meat is dry-salted, then stored in a cold room for about a week, at a temperature of 1 to 4 degrees Celsius and 80% humidity.

On the last day of the first week, the salt layer is scraped off and the ham is inspected for quality. Experts are responsible for carefully evaluating the flavor, color and shape of the meat fibers. The qualified meat parts continue to be salted a second time, placed in a cold room at 1 degree Celsius, 60% humidity. The time for the second dry salting process is two weeks. Next, the meat is checked again before being put in a cold room from 1 to 5 degrees Celsius, 75% humidity for a period of at least 8 weeks. Finally, people use warm water to wash off the salt layer on the meat. When dry, the meat is placed in the next drying chamber for about three months. This area is not cooled or artificially heated but is directly affected by natural weather conditions. People only close or open the drying chamber door to regulate the temperature to the most appropriate level.

In the final stage, the dried pork is transferred to a dark drying room. The waiting time for this process to be completed is about a year before the final quality check and European inspection stamp.

Dishes from Parma ham

Parma ham is a product exported all over the world. This high-end meat naturally comes with a very high price tag, used to prepare many dishes, such as pizza, grilled cheese wraps, and most commonly appearing on coldcuts (snack dishes to eat with wine) in European restaurants.