Prosciutto di San Daniele

Appearance & taste

The ham has the characteristic guitar shape, and the lower part of the leg, the trotter, stays attached. This makes a whole Prosciutto di San Daniele instantly recognisable. On the bone it weighs 8.3 to 12.8 kg.

The meat is tender. The lean part is red and pink and marbled with fat, and the white fat is in the right proportion to it. The flavour is delicate, with a balanced richness of aromas and a more pronounced aftertaste; the long ripening gives it a fragrant aroma. Before branding, moisture (57 to 63 %), salt content (4.3 to 6 %), protein breakdown and water activity are tested on the thigh muscle (biceps femoris).

Each ham carries a logo branded into the rind or another proof by which the raw material and the ham can be traced. It is sold whole on or off the bone, in pieces or pre-packed in slices. Slicing and packing are done only in the production area: the slices no longer carry the brand mark of the rind, and without the rind the ham is more susceptible to drying out and oxidation.

Production

The pigs are born, raised and slaughtered in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, Tuscany, Marche, Abruzzo or Lazio. Their feed, liquid or dry, comes from the rearing area, in difficult years at least half of the dry matter. Cereals make up at least 45 % of the dry matter in the growing phase and at least 55 % in the finishing phase. In addition there are, among other things, peas, bran, whey and buttermilk. Linoleic acid and fat in the feed are limited so that the animals’ fat stays firm.

The legs come from heavy carcasses of 110.1 to 180 kg and weigh 11.8 to 18 kg. Their outer layer of fat, including the rind, is at least 17 mm thick. They are processed no later than five days after slaughter. From trimming the fresh leg to the end of drying, everything stays in the municipality of San Daniele. The legs are trimmed and pressed and, at the start, salted only with sea salt. For pre-packed slices, the ham must ripen for at least 430 days.

Origin & history

San Daniele del Friuli lies in central Friuli on the river Tagliamento, behind which rise the first foothills of the Carnic Pre-Alps. Along the river, warm winds from the Adriatic meet colder Alpine winds coming from the Tarvisiano through the Canale del Ferro. This creates a microclimate with gentle air movement and low humidity, which is suited to the long drying.

According to the specification, because of these conditions the ham has always been made only in the municipality after which it is named. The ham makers pass on their techniques from generation to generation and adapt each phase to the weather and the legs. They dry the hams in rooms with many windows, in which the natural draught supports the long, slow drying.