th
tH
# 81 JULY 18 , 2016
of pork legs that meet the
production rule requirements and have the right
characteristics to ensure
the attainment of a high
quality product. These are
then marked with a metal
seal.
# 81 juLY 18 , 2016
inspected before passing
to the smearing stage.
The paste used for this is
a mixture of ground pork
lard with added wheat or
rice flour, salt and pepper.
The muscle tissue in the
legs is smeared to protect
it from excessive dehydration and preserve its tenAfter about 3-4 weeks of derness, while allowing
salting, the leg enters the further moisture loss.
pre-curing phase, during
which the prosciutto undergoes gradual dehydration as the meat slowly
and gradually matures.
This is followed by salting,
with a dry process that includes the use of salt, pepper, bay leaves, rosemary,
juniper berries, garlic, and
other herbs typical of the
local area. No additives or
preservatives are permitted.
The next step is trimming,
by which the prosciutto
is given its characteristic
rounded shape. Part of the
fat and the rind are removed during this process,
and the characteristic “V”
cut is made, which facilitates the penetration of the
salt and other seasoning. About six months after salting, the prosciuttos are all
scan bread, which is characteristically unsalted.
The true curing process
now begins. The hams are
kept in an environment
with ideal temperature
and humidity conditions,
where they slowly mature
and develop all the particular aromas and flavours
that distinguish Tuscan
Prosciutto PDO.
vineyards, olive groves
and landscapes famo us
throughout the world. The
pig enjoys a place of honour in this setting, providing unique cold cuts that
combine perfectly with
the unsalted bread and
wine to represent the essence of Tuscan cuisine.
When curing is complete, the olfactory characteristics of the product are
tested by inserting a needle-shaped horse bone in
various parts of the meat.
Only those hams considered suitable are branded
with the distinctive Tuscan
Prosciutto PDO marking,
which is the guarantee of
their quality.
The climate, characterised
by its temperate land and
sea breezes, which ventilate an area sheltered from
north winds by the Apennine chain, is particularly
suitable for the curing of
prosciutto, as well as for
the production of other
exquisite regional specia- Two hundred years later,
lities, such as the wine and Dante himself wrote the
famous phrase in the Paolive oil.
radise part of his Divine
These environmental fac- Comedy referring to this
tors, combined with the tradition: “Thou shalt have
expertise inherited by proof how savoureth of
the local producers, who salt the bread of others”.
have always known how
to enhance the flavour of
the pork through the use
of ancient traditional procedures, are crucial to the
quality of the finished product.
This absence of salt, based
on an historic Tuscan tradition, is a consequence
of the struggles between
Pisa and Florence, which
became bitter in the twelfth century and led the
Maritime Republic of Pisa
to block the trade of salt
to the interior. In response,
the Florentines decided to
make their bread without
salt and to use whatever
salt was available for food
preservation and the curing of prosciuttos.
The local area
The Tuscany area is large
and has great variation. It
rises elegantly from the
beaches of Versilia, Livorno and Monte Argentario
to the crown of the Apuan
Alps, which then soften
into the Apennines, where
we find the Garfagnana,
Mugello and the Pratomagno range, before reaching the other imposing Interesting facts
Prosciutto Toscano PDO
Apuan peaks.
forms a perfect combinaIn between, the hills offer tion with traditional Tu-
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