Prosciutto di San Daniele

“Anyone could make prosciutto like this if they were able to move heaven and earth”

San Daniele, Original Source: Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele
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San Daniele is the name of a place that is home to a sensational product that shares all its features: it is Friuli’s crowning achievement. 

Crudo e KiwiOriginal Source: Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele

Connected to a very old production method that has remained unchanged over the centuries, Prosciutto from San Daniele is a highly prized product.

Sugnatura Prosciutto di San DanieleMinistry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies

San Daniele Prosciutto DOP is made by curing fresh legs of Italian pork. The processing technique, which has been passed down over hundreds of years by generations of master prosciutto craftsmen, involves various highly complex stages. 

SugnaturaOriginal Source: Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele

Once they have been trimmed and salted the legs are washed...

...and the unprotected part of the rind is covered with suet, which keeps the meat soft.

StagionaturaOriginal Source: Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele

The curing process transforms the fresh meat into prosciutto. The legs are hung up for 5 months in rooms with north-south facing windows to catch the warm winds from the Adriatic Sea and the contrasting cold winds that come from the Alps.

PuntatutaOriginal Source: Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele

Once the "curing" is over, each prosciutto is rigorously checked. A small, pointed horse bone is inserted into five points of the meat and examined by experts with a heightened sense of smell.

[Smell testing: then...

PuntaturaOriginal Source: Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele

...and now]

MarchiaturaOriginal Source: Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele

Only prosciutto that meets the requirements will be fire-branded with the mark of the Consortium. 

Piatto di prosciuttoOriginal Source: Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele

Attention to detail, patience and love of tradition make Prosciutto di San Daniele DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) a truly unique product.

Credits: Story

Curator—Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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