Pdo and Parma’s area
A millenary, ancient, tradition, based on simple tecniques but with a need of respect and knowledge: Prosciutto di Parma Pdo is 100% natural, with no preservatives added, only pork meat and sea salt. The hidden ingredients are the skills of master involved in the production and the micro wheather conditions of Parma’s hills, with delicate and dry air used to dry the meat. The production of Prosciutto di Parma Pdo is possibile only in a limited area, from 5 km South of Parma to 900 meters altitude in Apennini Mountains, between rivers Enza and Stirane. This area has ideal climate conditions for natural aging of Prosciutto di Parma Pdo. The production is codified in a “book of rules” called disciplinare, a guide that all Prosciutto di Parma producers must stricly follow, without any change: at the end the inspection by a third company called Istituto Parma Qualità, certify that the prosciutto inspected is a real Prosciutto di Parma Pdo and the tight is fire branded with the famous “crown” brand, a inconfondibile brand that means to the consumer, naturality, respect of the tradition, excellence and inique taste. To transform a fresh pork tight in a Prosciutto di Parma Pdo, the production pass trhu codified steps: meat selection, cooling/trimming, salting, rest, washing/drying, pre-curing/trimming, greasing, maturing, quality test/aging.
Reggiano production, more than 9 months old, around 160kg wheight. Only with this caracteristiques thights can enter into Prosciutto di Parma production chain.
COOLING/TRIMMING
Fresh pork tights arte cooled to 0° and trimmed to obtain the caracteristic round shape
SALTING
It is important at this stage that the tights have an adequate and uniform temperature. After a first salting period called “primo sale”, in wich thights rested one week with salt on shelves in a 2-4° degrees room, the residual salt is removed and they are covered again with a thin coat of salt. Finally they are put in another cold store called “secondo sale”, where they stay for 15 to18 days, according to their weight.
The greasing softens the superficial muscular layers so that the external layers don’t dry too rapidly. It also allows further humidity loss.