Kraški pršut

Appearance & taste

Karst ham has a typical outer shape: a whole leg without the foot, with rind and a layer of fat. The head of the thigh bone protrudes 5 to 7 cm from the meat. On the inside the muscle is exposed, and the rind and fat are trimmed back a little towards the shank.

Because of the long drying, the ham contains little water; it is somewhat saltier than other hams (up to 7.4 % salt), and the slices are firmer. They are pinkish red and darker towards the edge. The smell and taste are full, and the strong, lively aroma develops during maturing and, according to the specification, distinguishes it from other hams. Whole hams, halves and quarters bear a brand “Kraški pršut” on the rind with the producer’s number; the label shows a logo in the form of a stylised ham.

Production

The pig breed is not prescribed. The fresh legs weigh at least 9 kg, have a layer of fat of at least 10 mm and are processed 24 to 120 hours after slaughter, chilled to −1 to +4 °C; they must not be frozen. At the start they receive a brand with the batch and date. They are then rubbed dry with coarse sea salt, massaged and freed of blood; the amount of salt depends on the weight. Salting and re-salting take place at +1 to +4 °C, after which the salt is removed.

This is followed by a cold drying phase with a draught at +1 to +7 °C, which together with the salting lasts at least 75 days. The legs are then washed with warm water and dried and matured at +12 to +18 °C. During this time the exposed meat is coated several times with a paste of pork fat, salt, pepper and flour. For a starting weight of 9 kg, production takes at least twelve months, longer for heavier legs; by the end the ham has lost at least 33 % of its weight. The aroma is checked with a horse-bone needle that is pushed into the meat. All production steps take place in the area; boning, cutting, slicing and packing are done only in facilities certified for this purpose.

Origin & history

The Karst is a plateau in south-western Slovenia with a limestone subsoil and poor red soils. Here the mild Mediterranean climate meets the cold bora, which blows from the north-east towards the Gulf of Trieste. The hills and the nearby sea bring a lot of wind and rather dry air, and with them good conditions for drying meat.

According to the specification, its beginnings probably go back to the time when the Karst was settled. In 1689 the topographer Valvasor wrote that the people of the Karst were content with a piece of raw bacon with onion and black bread. In 1960 the geographer A. Melik noted that pig farming was well developed in the Karst and that the meat could be stored well raw and air-dried as Karst ham. The inhabitants salt whole legs and shoulders, and traditionally do so moderately, which produces a sweet-salty taste; elsewhere in Slovenia the meat is cut up and cured in brine. As Trieste grew and new transport routes such as the Vienna–Trieste railway appeared, demand increased.

From 1953 cooperatives bought 3,000 to 4,000 hams a year from farmers in the Karst, weighing over 8 kg and matured for about 18 months, and supplied them to restaurants and hotels and partly to Italy. In 1963 the ham was given the trademark “Kraški pršut” for the first time. Since 1977 it has been made in specially equipped facilities, the “pršutarne”.