Prosciutto Veneto Berico-Euganeo

Appearance & taste

The ham has a natural, partly pressed leg shape without the foot. The muscle above the head of the femur, the cushion, is exposed by at most 6 cm (“short cut”). On the bone a ham weighs 8 to 11 kg; hams that are still to be boned weigh at least 7 kg. A string is threaded through a hole in the upper part. The exposed lean part is covered with a layer of cereal flour, lard, salt and, where applicable, pepper; preservatives and colourings are not allowed.

The meat is pink and lightly marbled, the fat completely white, the aroma delicate, mild and fragrant. The ripe ham contains 58 to 64 % moisture and 4 to 6.8 % salt. According to the specification, the dry microclimate and the scent of the vegetation, such as the olive trees, give the ham its typical savouriness.

It is sold whole on the bone, boned, in pieces or sliced; each form carries the mark of conformity. Hams for slicing must have ripened for at least 14 months. Additions such as “classic”, “genuine”, “extra” or “super” are prohibited; only “boned” and “sliced” are allowed.

Production

The pigs are born, reared and slaughtered in Veneto, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria or Lazio. Large White and Landrace are permitted, as well as Duroc lines improved in the Italian herd book and compatible crosses; boars and sows are excluded. The animals are fattened slowly into heavy pigs, 160 kg per batch on average, and are at least nine months old at slaughter. The feed contains at least 45 % cereals in the first phase and at least 55 % during fattening, and is preferably given in liquid form, traditionally with whey.

The fresh leg without the foot weighs at least 10 kg, and its outer layer of fat including the rind is at least 20 mm thick so that the ham stays tender during ripening. Processing is still done mainly by hand: separating, chilling, trimming, salting, partial pressing, resting, washing, drying and ripening. All these steps take place in the production area; boning, slicing and packing are also allowed outside it, and sliced products go into transparent packaging.

Origin & history

The production area comprises 15 municipalities with a total of only 355.63 km², including Montagnana, Este, Lonigo and Noventa Vicentina, in the Po plain and at the foot of the Colli Berici and the Euganean Hills. It lies a few dozen kilometres from the Pre-Alps and Lake Garda and 40 to 50 km from the Adriatic. The hills steer the winds: easterly and northerly winds prevail, including the warm föhn, and during the day a light breeze comes in from the Adriatic. According to the specification, this creates a constant, dry microclimate that is ideal for ripening ham. The Euganean Hills were declared a regional park in 1989.

According to the specification, raw ham has always been part of the culture of Veneto, with its Celtic and Lombard roots in the Po plain. In the past the pigs lived there half-wild in the plain and hills and ate acorns from the oak woods. For more than 50 years, dairy farming and cereal growing have also shaped the area; this kind of livestock farming gave rise to the “heavy pig”.