Tag: tradition

Parma Ham is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product and is 100% natural. The drying process that Parma Ham goes through creates a ham that is very low in fat content, with many mineral salts, vitamins, antioxidants and easily digestible proteins. This means that Parma Ham is truly a food for everyone.

Prosciutto di Parma is produced in the hills surrounding the Italian town of Parma.

The unique taste of Parma Ham is dependent on the traditional production process passed down from Roman times, carefully controlled by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma.  Only hams that have passed stringent curing regulations approved by the EU can be awarded the stamp of the Ducal crown – a five-pointed coronet logo with PARMA in the centre which is branded onto the ham’s skin. The Ducal Crown is now a certification trademark.

The passion for an ancient job, consisting of ancient traditions, handed down from generation to generation; the care taken over the details at all curing and maturing stages; the balance of the fragrances and flavours of a rich and generous land; the quality of the raw material used and the attention given to choosing it. These are the elements that make Parma Ham one of the most representative products of the Made in Italy brand and one of the most highly prized and best-known products in the world.

Parma Ham is good, healthy and completely natural: Italian pork, the skill of master salters and the dry, gentle air of the hills. A few simple ingredients for an unmistakable sweetness and flavour.

Nutritional Values

Parma Ham is a concentrate of excellence and health for a healthy, balanced diet. In a research to update the nutritional values carried out by the Parma Ham Consortium in agreement with the Stazione Sperimentale per l’Industria delle Conserve Alimentari (SSICA) (Experimental Station for the Preserves Industry) and the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca per gli Alimenti e la Nutrizione (INRAN) (National Food and Nutrition Research Institute), the analyses on Parma Ham indicate a balanced combination of very high quality organoleptic and sensorial characteristics and nutritional properties that make it a food suitable for everyone. The values refer to a medium cured product and certify the extreme naturalness of Parma Ham, a product that does not contain preservatives, nor the additives generally used in the preparation of meat-based foods; a product that combines great palatability and its unmistakable and famous sweetness with a high nutritional value. In particular, Parma Ham proves to be a highly digestible product and therefore the ideal food for children, sportsmen, sportswomen and the elderly, thanks to its content of excellent quality proteins and to the natural proteolysis that takes place during curing (the breakdown of the proteins into smaller molecules and into individual amino acids).

Sportsmen and sportswomen can also count on the detoxifying and anti-fatigue action of branched amino acids – valine, leucine and isoleucine – that make up more than 20% of the total amount of protein and contribute to the repair of muscle damage due to the wear that the muscle sustains during movement. The total lipid component is also of good quality, thanks to the high content of unsaturated fatty acids (64.9%), the good fats that are good for health, such as oleic acid (45.8%), a monounsaturated fat, also contained in olive oil, that protects from cardiovascular pathologies. Eating Parma Ham means contributing to achieving the recommended daily amounts (RDAs) of group B vitamins, and also to provide a good amount of precious minerals that are highly bioavailable, meaning they are easy for the body to absorb, such as iron for example. Parma Ham also proves to be an excellent food that helps to combat and inhibit the action of free radicals, the main cause of ageing and degenerative diseases, and to restore the physiological balance of the body, thanks to the presence of natural antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium.

The Consortium
The Parma Ham Consortium, an organisation of producers who use and safeguard the traditional processing method, was set up in 1963 to guarantee the consumer very high quality characteristics. Since then, the Consortium ensures compliance with production specifications and is also involved in other activities that are essential for the protection and promotion of the product in Italy and throughout the world.

Parma Ham
Parma Ham is good, healthy and completely natural: the only ingredients are Italian pork cured with pure sea salt. Neither preservatives nor additives have ever been. The pig selected for Parma Ham is a “special” pig born and reared in 10 regions of central northern Italy, exclusively of Large White, Landrace and Duroc breed, and fed on quality food such as maize, barley and whey from the production of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. All the climatic conditions that are ideal for drying, namely the natural curing that will give sweetness and flavour to the Parma Ham, occur only in this area. The air of the Parma hills is fragrant. Once it has picked up the aroma of the pine forests, the Versilia sea wind brushes against the karst mountains of the Cisa, where it loses all its salty taste, and finally rolls in the scent of the chestnut woods. It is therefore a dry air, ideal for curing “Prosciutti”.

Discover more: www.prosciuttodiparma.com

A RECIPE

Risotto with Taleggio Cream and Parma Ham: a recipe for a delicious summer evening. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy al fresco dining, and this yummy risotto featuring Parma Ham is a great recipe to share with family and friends. Serve with fresh parsley and extra slices of Parma Ham for a delicious, finishing touch. This recipe serves 4 -5 people.

INGREDIENTS

• 100g Taleggio cheese
• 50g Milk
• 5 litre Vegetable stock
• 300g Risotto Rice
• 2 Shallots, chopped
• 70g Parma Ham
• 30g Butter
• 20g Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 Glass of White wine
• Salt & Pepper

To serve:

• Parsley, chopped
• 30g Parma Ham, thinly sliced

METHOD

1. Dice the Taleggio cheese and soak it in 50g milk and 50g stock. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.
2. For the risotto, toast the rice with the shallots and chopped Parma Ham, a knob of butter and 1 spoonful of oil. Douse with white wine and allow to evaporate, adjust salt and pepper, and finish cooking with the hot stock.
3. 6 or 7 minutes before finishing cooking, add the Taleggio cheese with the soaking liquids, then the butter to give a creamy texture.
4. Serve the risotto garnished with the sliced Parma Ham and chopped parsley.