Last year at this time
we discussed the process of
canning tomatoes to enjoy the flavour of fresh & local summer tomatoes year
round. We received numerous excited emails throughout the winter and spring from
readers who were inspired to can tomatoes for their first time and how they
enjoyed excellent quality tomato sauces made from their own tomatoes throughout
the year. Hopefully, this newsletter will serve to inspire you to take on the
more complicated and patient task of curing prosciutto. All you need is a good
quality ham, good quality sea salt, a cantina (i.e. cellar), and twelve to
twenty-four long months; our Head Butcher Ryan Donovan will get more into the
process later.
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An Italian man's pride: We
asked Nonno Longo (Tara’s
grandfather) to pose for a picture in his cantina next
to his homemade prosciutti; not only did he oblige, but
he quickly grabbed a bottle of his homemade wine to be
in the picture.
Note also the homemade canned tomatoes
in the background.
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WHAT IS PROSCIUTTO AND HOW IS IT USED?
|
Photo taken
from www.lifeinitaly.com |
Literally, the word “prosciutto” derives from the Latin
perexsuctum which means "dried of liquid"; broadly
speaking, “prosciutto” refers to a dry-cured ham. That
is, a whole back leg of a mature pig packed in salt for
weeks, then rinsed and hung to dry for many months or
even years. Confusingly, “prosciutto” is the Italian
word for ham (the leg of a pig); so, in Italy the
distinction is made between “prosciutto crudo”, meaning
raw ham, being the cured ham which English speakers
refer to as simply “prosciutto”, and “prosciutto cotto”
being a cooked ham. To add another level of confusion,
North Americans generally grow up referring to “ham” as
the common smoked pork leg used for lunchmeat, instead
of “ham” referring to a raw leg of pig. Let’s
attempt to end the confusion right now - when we speak
of “prosciutto” we are talking about a
dry-cured leg of pig. |
Prosciutto is generally
sliced paper-thin and often served in Italian cuisine as an
antipasto, wrapped around grissini or, especially in summer,
cantaloupe or honeydew. It may be included in a simple pasta
sauce made with cream, or a Tuscan dish of tagliatelle and
vegetables. It is served in sandwiches, often in a variation of
the Caprese salad, with basil, tomato, and fresh mozzarella.
Prosciutto may further be used as a stuffing for other meats, in
a filled bread or as a pizza topping. Personally, a good quality
prosciutto is best served one way and way only – on its own.
PROSCIUTTI AROUND THE WORLD
Using
salt to dry-cure hams has been a process used since ancient
Egyptian times. Before refrigeration, salting was the only way
to keep the flesh of animals for any length of time without
spoiling. Today, the majority of dry-cured hams in North America
come from one of the following four sources, which we will
discuss in more detail below: (1) Parma, Italy, the source of
Prosciutto di Parma; (2) the region of Friuli-Venezia
Giulia, Italy, the source of Prosciutto di San Daniele;
(3) Serrano Ham from Spain; and (4) local producers.
The story of Prosciutto is really the story of pigs - it takes
the best pigs eating the right foods to make a perfect ham. The
overall process of making any prosciutto is basically the same
anywhere in the world and includes trimming the ham, using salt to cure the ham, than
air drying the ham for a period ranging from 1-2 years. Despite
the similarity in the process, prosciuttos from around the world
will have different flavours, aromas, and textures that make
them unique – all a result of the breed of pig, what the pig ate
and how it was treated, even the air the pig breathed – all
factors combine to create the flavour profile.
Unfortunately for us North Americans, we rarely get a chance to
experience the best dry-cured hams Europe has to offer, since
the smaller, more unique and often highest-quality producers are
sold-out locally. If you’re planning a trip to Europe
(especially Italy, Spain or France), be sure to write down the
names of some hams to seek out in restaurants or grocery stores
to taste prosciutti that are completely different than those we
are used to here at home. You may have to shell out a few extra
dollars for ham from some of the niche producers, but a little
goes a long way in flavour and experiencing that flavour is
experiencing the authentic cuisine of the country you are in.
Rather than seeking out certain brands which requires more
detailed research, one easy way to recognize different hams is
to seek out EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
prosciutti. Under the Common Agricultural Policy of the
European Union, certain well-established meat products are covered by PDOs or other designations
of geographical origin for traditional specialties (not unlike
designated regions for wine). The
European Commission Agriculture and Rural Development site lists the following PDOs for
dry-cured ham, in alphabetical order by country:
BELGIUM:
Jambon d'Ardenne
BULGARIA:
Elenski but, made in the town of Elena in Bulgaria
FRANCE:
Bayonne ham, from the French Basque country
GERMANY:
Ammerländer Schinken/Ammerländer Knochenschinken
ITALY:
Prosciutto di Parma, Italy
Prosciutto di San Daniele, Italy
Prosciutto di Modena, Italy (PDO)
Prosciutto Veneto Berico-Euganeo, Italy (PDO)
Prosciutto di Carpegna, near Montefeltro, Italy (PDO)
Prosciutto di Norcia, Italy (PGI)
Prosciutto Toscano, Italy (PDO)
Prosciutto crudo di San Daniele (UD)
PORTUGAL:
Presunto in Portugal (similar to Jamón serrano)
SPAIN:
Jamón ibérico
Jamón serrano
OTHER NOTABLE DRY-CURED HAMS INCLUDE:
Pršut, from the Balkans :
Dalmatinski Pršut, from Dalmatia in Croatia
Njeguška pršuta, from Njeguši, Montenegro
Kraški pršut, from Karst, Slovenia
Keep in mind, however, that several countries maintain their own
denominations (or DOCs) that may include regional hams not
included in the EU set.
PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA
The popular Prosciutto
di Parma (perhaps the world’s most widely known ham) is made from specially bred
Large White, Landrance and Duroc locally raised pigs which are fed a strict diet
of grain, cereal and whey from locally made Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The whey
results in a slightly nutty flavour in the prosciutto. Pigs used must be reared
in one of 11 regions in central-north Italy and must weigh at least 140kg at the
time of slaughter and should be a minimum of 9 months old. |
 |
Just
four ingredients are permitted in the production of Prosciutto
di Parma: Italian pigs, salt, air and time. The salting of the
hams is performed by a maestro salatore, who uses enough salt to
cure the meat, whilst ensuring that the ham does not lose its
sweetness, which is the hallmark of properly made Prosciutto di
Parma. The hams are then left in 80% humidity for about a week.
Any residual salt is then removed and the hams are given a
second salting and left for 15-18 days, depending on weight. The
hams are then hung and refrigerated in 65% humidity for 70 days.
Next they are washed and brushed to remove any excess salt, and
left in drying rooms. The hams are now ready for the initial
curing. This takes place in temperature and humidity controlled
rooms that are equipped with windows to let in natural air from
outside. Many believe that this stage is the key to the
development of Parma’s inimitable flavour. After about three
months the exposed areas of the ham, those areas that are not
protected by skin, have dried out and can be covered with a
protective film of lard and salt. The ham is now ready for the
second cure. They are taken to dark cellars and hung on racks
for a period of at least one year, although certain hams may be
cured for up to 30 months. At the end of this laborious curing
process the ham is ready for tasting. Using a hollowed out horse
bone the inspector pierces the ham five times, at different
points. The aroma of the meat inside indicates that correct
curing has taken place and that the ham is of sufficient quality
to be branded as Prosciutto di Parma. Those hams that pass all
quality tests are branded with the trademark of the Prosciutto
di Parma consortium, the five-pointed ducal crown. Only the
consortium may brand hams with this symbol, a guarantee of the
quality and authenticity of Prosciutto di Parma.
For more information, visit:
www.prosciuttodiparma.com
PROSCIUTTO DI SAN
DANIELE
The
town of San Daniele, a small town of 8,000 people in the heart of Friuli in northern Italy
produces what is widely acknowledged as the best prosciutto in
all of Italy. Of course, as with all things Italian, this
statement results in heated discussion over a glass (or several
glasses) of wine. The Prosciutto di San Daniele is cured using local sea salt in sparse amounts and also, like
Prosciutto di Parma, results in a prosciutto considered sweet.
Between the two, San Daniele tends to be darker in colour and
sweeter in flavour than Parma ham. Prosciutto di San Daniele is
characterized by its flat guitar shape because the hams are
stacked on top of each other during curing.
|
 Mamma
Fiorucci visiting a prosciutto producer in
San Daniele, Italy – August, 2007
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San Daniele
prosciutto must be made with the fresh thighs of Italian-bred
heavy pigs in excellent health. Located in the foothills of the
Italian Alps, San Daniele has the ideal microclimate for
air-curing meat. Cool winds off the mountains mingle with
warm breezes from the Adriatic to create constant ventilation
and low humidity, a kind of “natural air conditioning,” that
enhances the flavor of the meat.
The
San Daniele consortium oversees the production of over 3,000,000
prosciutto hams per year, about 14% of the total production of
Italy. There are 28 producers who carry the San Daniele name.
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For
more information, visit:
http://www.prosciuttosandaniele.it/
SPANISH HAM
Spain is the world's leading producer and
consumer of ham. About 38.5 million hams and shoulders are
processed each year, and every Spaniard eats nearly 5 kg of ham
a year - twice as much as in Italy. Spanish hams come in two
varieties: Serrano and Iberico. The hams known as Jamones
Serranos come from white breeds of pig such as Duroc and
Landrace; these pigs are much leaner and the fat is mainly on
the outside and slightly yellowish in colour. Serrano ham is not
limited to particular areas of Spain, although there are minimum
quality requirements for hams to bear this designation. Further,
there are three official Serrano ham grades: Plata (Silver) for
hams cured 8-11 months; Oro (Gold) for hams cured 11-14 months;
and Gran Serrano for hams cured for more than 14 months.
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A Photo I
took in the deli section of a typical Spanish grocery store. The hams save
money otherwise spent on wallpaper.
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The hams known as Jamón Iberico
come from Iberico breeds of pig such as Entrepelado,
Retinto, and Manchado de Jabugo; the muscles in these
pigs are well marbled throughout. The marbling fat helps
slow down the curing process, resulting in more complex,
powerful aromas. The Iberico ham designation can be used
only in regions found in the west and southwest of
Spain. Iberico hams are also popularly known as Jamón
Pata Negra (black hoof ham) because the skin and hoof of
an Iberian hog are usually black. But this is not an
official designation as there are varieties of Iberian
pigs that are not black and there are also non-Iberian
pigs with black or very dark hides. |
The quality of Jamón Iberico is dependent
on the pig’s feed. Jamón Iberico de Bellota (also known as Jamón
Iberico de Montanera) are free-range, acorn-fed Iberian pigs and
the highest quality. A step down is Jamón Iberico de Recebo
which are fed acorn, pasture and commercial feed. So, just
because a ham has a Denominación de Origen mark it doesn’t mean
that it’s a top quality ham comparable to Jamón Iberico de
Bellota or Recebo.
OTHER NOTABLE WORLD HAMS
The delicate tasting French Jambon de
Bayonne comes from the capital of the French Basque country. It
is salted using local sea salt and then dried in that region for
at least seven months so that it develops its characteristic
aroma and becomes tender. Definitely worth a try!
Jambon d’Ardennes from Belgium are also worth seeking out. These
hams are manually dry-salted with sea salt, juniper berries,
thyme, and coriander, smoked over beech and oak till dark brown,
and then long-aged to acquire full-bodied flavour and soft
texture. Every Ardennes ham has a yellow-numbered leaden seal as
a guarantee of quality and origin.
If you find yourself in Tuscany, a great variance to the
Proscuitti di Parma and San Daniele is Prosciutto Toscano; unlike
the sweet prosciutti that make up the majority of prosciutto
production, Toscano is a "savory" ham with the salt
accompanied by pepper, garlic, rosemary and juniper.
LOCALLY-MADE PROSCIUTTI
All this discussion of world prosciutto,
and low and behold The Healthy Butcher only carries two
varieties – neither of which are discussed above. The first
variety is our homemade prosciutto made from our locally grown
Certified Organic pigs, cured and dried in-house. The second is
Pingue Prosciutto from Niagara Food Specialties in
Niagara-On-The-Lake who uses only Naturally Raised or Certified
Organic hams from Quebec and Ontario.
The decision to stick to these two local sources was not an easy
one considering our love of dry-cured hams. Ultimately, the
decision was based on two reasons. First, we have yet to find
good quality organic dry-cured hams that are imported or
“importable” into Canada due to (ridiculously) strict import
requirements. Second, and the more convincing reason, is the
food mileage of imported prosciutto. Even if a food item is
organic, if that item was shipped half-way across the world the
resulting fossil fuel costs for delivery alone almost negate the
benefit of having grown the item organically in the first place.
Further, the sustainability of the local, organic meat industry
is largely dependent on the success of fringe industries that
insure 100% utilization of the animal – the curing of non-prime
cuts of meat is a perfect example of such an industry. There’s a
damn good reason why The Healthy Butcher takes pride in its over
fifty different Charcuterie items made in-house! If those
Charcuterie items are not successful, we (as in you)
would not have the opportunity to enjoy our local, organic pork
Tenderloin, or even beef New York Striploin, for that matter. In
any case, the discussion of food mileage is a lengthy one and
best left for another newsletter. If we ever come across a
remarkable good quality organic imported prosciutto, we may have
to revisit the pros and cons. For now, let’s talk about Pingue’s
prosciutto.
Very few local producers get us as excited as Niagara Food
Specialties. Mario and Fernando Pingue took over their father’s
small business in 2002. Their dad, their dad’s dad, and their
dad’s dad dad have been making prosciutto since 1889.
In 2002 they decided to take it under their wings and turn it
into a full-time business. Thankfully, the knowledge of three
prior generations has not been lost judging by the quality of
their prosciutto today, which we would easily prefer over 95% of
the imported generic grade Italian and Spanish hams. “What you
start off with will determine what you end up with,” says Mario Pingue, and after a short pause and giggle sums it up with
“garbage-in, garbage-out.” So, the Pingues stick to using only
hams from Naturally Raised and Certified Organic pigs from local
sources. The results of their selective process are obvious. To
this day, the Pingue prosciutti are the only prosciutti sold at
The Healthy Butcher that are not house cured.
A RECIPE FOR CURING A PROSCIUTTO
I have vivid memories of
watching my father salt pork hams in January, when our cantina
was cool enough to ensure the safe curing and initial drying of
hams in a non-refrigerated environment. For the average
household, the cellar (known as the cantina in my family) is too
warm and humid in the spring, summer, and fall, but January and
February provide perfect conditions. In Bill Buford’s book
Heat:
An Amateur's Adventures As Kitchen Slave, Line Cook,
Pasta-maker, And Apprentice To A Dante, Buford describes talking
to an old Italian butcher who says “When I was young, there was
one kind of prosciutto. It was made in the winter, by hand, and
aged for two years. It was sweet when you smelled it. A profound
perfume. Unmistakable. To age a prosciutto is a subtle business.
If it’s too warm, the aging process never begins. The meat
spoils. If it’s too dry, the meat is ruined. It needs to be damp
but cool. The summer is too hot. In the winter—that's when you
make salumi. Your prosciutto. Your soppressata. Your sausages.”
For the recipe, I turn it over to Ryan who makes our prosciutti
in-house.
PROSCIUTTO DI TIMMINS: A RECIPE
NONETHELESS
By Ryan Donovan
All good food must wear its
origin proudly and tout the lineage of its craftsman. My mother
was born in a small Belgian farming village called Herzela,
between Ghent and Brussels. My father was born in Timmins. In
butchery, this makes me about as qualified to make prosciutto as
Wayne Gretzky is to be a linebacker for the New Orleans Saints.
But, even the Great One
would understand my lust for the salty plump and purple insides
of dry cured ham: it takes a patient reverence, a bookish
insight, and the co-operation of the wind, literally. When
autumn rolls around in Toronto, the weather is sometimes hotter
than it has been all summer and the tacky putrid air sweeping in
off Lake Ontario smells little of figs and black walnuts. In
fact, it doesn’t even sweep: it lumbers.
This is not to say that we
must import our cured hams. Nor is it to say that we in Ontario
are being robbed of the opportunity to proudly champion the
flavour profile of our terroir. We can cure ham. In fact, with
all the pigs in Ontario, we bloody well have to. At The Healthy
Butcher, we approach charcuterie with an old fashioned logic: if
we don’t, what will we do with all this stuff? The average
modern North American butcher shop that purchases boxed meat
from a wholesaler does not have this problem. But for us, using
the whole animal is a point of ethics. When supporting this
ethic, a penchant for charcuterie is invaluable.
And in the world of
charcuterie, this is the second best time of year. Autumn
signals many things: the early spring pigs are reaching the
right weight for slaughter, the temperatures are dropping, the
moisture levels are rising. While the earliest time to start
curing prosciutti in a home cellar is January, autumn demands a
trip to the local farm with the intention of sussing out the
sow. Making prosciutto is a long process, and as with all
good food, it begins with your buying decisions.
The best time of year, of
course, is when you taste the hams: when you sit down to eat
them with crusty bread, heirloom tomatoes and wet young cheese.
Here is my recipe for making prosciutto. It was not handed down
to me through my father’s lineage and I have no memories of
eating it as a child. But I am proud that it works well in
Ontario: it is considerate of our climate, of our options for
consumption, and of the need to use the whole animal.
This recipe is very simple, and once you master it, there is
lots of room to add your own flare. As you get started, you can
make your life easier by having me do Step 2 for you. You can
find me at the shop, ogling the cheese case.
The Healthy Butcher's Organic
Prosciutto in 10 Steps,
One of Which is Particularly
Easy
-
Make a
2:1::Salt:Sugar cure. The general rule to follow for
making prosciutto is 1 Lbs of cure for each
10 Lbs of raw Ham with 1 week of salt curing time for each 5
Lbs of raw ham. So, for a 20 Lbs raw ham, apply 2 Lbs of
cure and allow for 4 weeks of salt curing time.
-
Remove
the aitche bone from the ham. Leave the rind on. Remove the
trotter but leave the hock. Shape the femur end of the ham
into an appealing semi circle.
-
Put the
ham in a non reactive container (ceramic, plastic or wood -
but not metal) and rub with the cure (above). Be
very thorough and liberal with the rub, particularly around
the exposed hock and the exposed femur bone. It is in these
areas that bacteria is most likely to develop.
-
Place a
lid on the container and put the ham in a cool dark place,
between 1C to 4C.
-
Monitor
the hams over the next few weeks. As the cure dissolves into
the meat and the ham looses moisture, drain off the moisture
and reapply additional dry cure.
-
After 4
weeks remove the hams from the non reactive container. Rinse
the hams with a mixture of balsamic vinegar and red wine
that has been reduced by half over a hot flame (and let
cool).
-
Dry the
hams with a clean dry fabric cloth.
-
Tie a
strong loop several times around the hock, finishing with a
slip knot. The end of the tie should have a loop, so as to
suspend the prosciutto from the ceiling.
-
Find a
dark cool place to hang the prosciutto. The temperature and
humidity should be constant and the more air circulation the
better.
-
Wait a
year.
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here.
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