Food

Prosciutto San Daniele Dop: production and characteristics

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Written by EFW Staff

Peculiarities of Prosciutto San Daniele Dop

Prosciutto San Daniele Dop is produced in the hill area around the municipality of the same name, in the heart of Friuli Venezia Giulia, in the province of Udine. It is used exclusively pork meat bred in Italy and then treated with sea salt to obtain top quality products, to which Europe recognized the “Protected Designation of Origin” (in Italian DOP).

The legs come from pigs bred in an area which include ten regions: Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio, Abruzzo, Marche e Umbria and finished in the small municipality in Friuli Venezia Giulia. The brand on their skin makes this delicatessen easily recognizable, in addition to the guitar shape and the hind feet. A minimum of 13 months of ageing, the lack of additives and a strict disciplinary, that regulates the production process. In this way quality and taste are always guaranteed.

Winds and the unique taste of San Daniele Dop

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This Ham has a peculiar secret, in fact in compliance with the Dop Code of Conduct both the production and ageing have to occur, exclusively, in the hills of San Daniele; the explication is that in this area the winds of the Karst Alps are mingled with the Adriatic winds creating an optimal microclimate, where resinous and salty perfumes come together. The right humidity allows a perfect ageing, giving aromas and unique notes to the Ham.

Prosciutto San Daniele DOP: production process

The first step is the selection of the legs, arriving in San Daniele always fresh; then a first touch giving them the typical guitar shape. In the salting phase is the most important stage, the tradition says that the salting period, in days, has to be equivalent to the kilos of the Ham. The Ham is entirely covered with salt at a temperature between 0° and 4° and after that it is pressed to make the salt penetrates meat in depth. After that the Hams rests for four months, in a dedicated room, really humid allowing the homogeneous penetration of the salts and its seasoning. After a wash with warm water to remove the excess salt, it starts the real ageing for a minimum period of 13 months from the beginning of the process. The last phases foresee the “sugnatura”, that is the covering of the parts close to the bone with a pork-fat-based mixture; moreover continuous controls of the consistency and flavours occur.

Before being sold it is branded with the Dop sign, which guarantee quality and the designation of origin of the product.

 

Prosciutto_San_Daniele_-_photo_by_Adriano_Castelli_-_Shutterstock.com

How to recognize Prosciutto San Daniele DOP

Thanks to the brand and the hind feet you can’t be mistaken! Moreover Prosciutto San Daniele Dop has unique characteristics. The smell is delicate, but intense when the ageing increase, until you recognize notes of malted barley and bread crust. The taste is delicate and savory, typical of the aged meats, whereas the colour is red-rose, slightly veined with thin fat filaments, the fat around it is pure white.

All you have to do is try the best Recipes with San Daniele DOP

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EFW Staff