San Daniele del Friuli, Udine province, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The town sits at the confluence of Alpine and Adriatic air currents that create the specific microclimate for curing. DOP status since 1996.
San Daniele prosciutto is the Friulian peer of Parma ham: DOP-protected, made from pigs raised in 10 specific Italian regions, cured in the town of San Daniele del Friuli (Udine province). The unique characteristic is the 'chitarra' shape — the trotter is left on, and the ham is pressed flat under its own weight during the early curing stages. This creates a distinctively guitar-shaped prosciutto and, more importantly, keeps the moisture more evenly distributed during curing, producing a sweeter, more complex flavour than Parma ham.
San Daniele has a pronounced sweetness from the longer, trotter-retained moisture — the lean has a delicate, fruity quality and the fat melts to release a buttery, nutty sweetness. At room temperature, the volatile aromatics open fully. It is one of the sweetest and most complex of the Italian prosciutti.
San Daniele is cured for a minimum of 13 months (the best producers cure 18-24 months). The three-stage curing process: salting under sea salt for 1 day per kg of ham weight; resting in refrigerated cellars (riposo) to allow the salt to penetrate evenly; long-aging in the hilltop cellars of San Daniele, where the specific microclimate — warm summer winds from the Adriatic meeting cold Alpine air — creates the ideal curing conditions. No additives except sea salt and mountain air. The trotter's inclusion slows moisture loss from the end of the ham, producing a more even, sweeter cure.
Request your prosciuttaio to slice San Daniele slightly thicker than Parma — the slightly firmer texture holds its shape and provides a better eating experience on a plate. The surface fat on San Daniele is worth eating — it has the same sweet, nutty flavour as the lean. The trotter indicates authenticity: if the trotter is not present, it is not San Daniele.
Slicing San Daniele too thin — thinner than paper destroys the texture; 1-1.5mm is the correct service thickness. Serving cold — San Daniele should be at room temperature (15-18°C) to allow the fat to soften and the aromatic volatile compounds to release. Pairing with wrong breads — the traditional pairing is with fresh figs or grissini (breadsticks), not the same pairings as Parma.
Giorgio Locatelli, Made in Italy; Paul Bertolli, Cooking by Hand