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Italian · IV The Method

San Daniele Prosciutto — Curing Technique and Character

‹ The Method

I

Origin

San Daniele del Friuli, Udine province, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The curing of hams at San Daniele is documented from Roman times — the natural microclimate was recognized as exceptional for ham preservation from the earliest period. DOP status granted in 1996.

II

Description

Prosciutto di San Daniele DOP is one of the world's great cured hams: produced exclusively in San Daniele del Friuli (Udine province), where the unique convergence of cold mountain air from the Carnic Alps and warm humid breezes from the Adriatic creates the precise microclimate required for the 12-month minimum curing process. The ham is distinguished from Parma prosciutto by its guitar shape (the hoof is retained — gipon con zampino), its sweeter, less salty character, and the specific trimming that exposes more of the fat on one side. It is considered by many to be the finest prosciutto produced in Italy.

III

The Thread

—Long-cured hind leg of a specific breed, in a specific microclimate, for a minimum aging period — the Spanish ibérico and the Italian San Daniele are the two poles of European artisanal ham production; different pig breeds and diet create different fat composition and flavour Spanish
—The two great Italian prosciutti — Parma (rounder shape, hoof removed, slightly more salt) and San Daniele (guitar shape, hoof retained, sweeter) — are produced by the same fundamental technique in different microclimates; the microclimatic difference is the primary driver of flavour difference Parma, · Emilia
IV

Flavour Context

San Daniele prosciutto at its best has a sweetness that Parma prosciutto does not — the fat is clean and almost floral; the lean has a concentrated, nutty character; the slight salt is in perfect equilibrium. It does not announce itself with aggression — it reveals itself over the course of a slice.

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