Written By Lucca Osteria
The history.
Since the invention of refrigeration, storing meat has been easy. But for our predecessors, storing and preparing meat was a challenge. If consumed when spoiled, untreated meat could lead to serious food poisoning.
Necessity is the mother of invention, and the necessity to save food from spoilage using a salt cure gave rise to some of the best Italian pork products ever conceived—prosciutto, pancetta, speck, guanciale, and lardo. This practice extends thousands of years into human history, back to ancient times.
In what is now Italy, ancient Romans conserved meat with salt or salt-rich products, such as garum (a fermented fish sauce, similar to the Vietnamese and Thai fish sauces) or salted fats. In ancient Roman tradition, salted meats were an integral part of religious practice, wherein meats were salted as an offering to the gods.
Italian cured meats.
In the ancient eras, a salted meat trade grew across Europe. In Rome, salted pork was imported in different cuts: rear, middle, hams, and sausages. They were salted, and oftentimes smoked. Curing meats allowed for long-term storage, which was crucial to feeding soldiers in the Roman army.
Ancient Romans enjoyed spicy pork sausages from Basilicata (now known as Lucaniche), as well as Prosciutto, air-dried in a special region of Italy.
Italian cured meats may be categorized in two categories: whole cuts (from boneless thigh or shoulder, i.e. pancetta, prosciutto, etc.) or minced/ground/chopped meat stuffed into casings (i.e. salami, sausages). Both forms of dried cured meats appear in many different sizes, textures, and shapes. They are eaten in a variety of ways: paired with bread, used in cooking, eaten raw.
The most famous of the Italian cured meats are Prosciutto di Parma, Prosciutto Toscano, Mortadella, Pancetta, and Soppressata to name a few. Depending on the region of Italy, there are different flavors and modes of curing that depend on the geography of the region. Parma, for example, is known for its air quality which enhances the flavor of Prosciutto. And by the way – the very name of Prosciutto comes from the Latin root “to suck out the moisture” or “to dry thoroughly”!
Prosciutto Toscano
Produced under the same strict laws and traditions since the 15th century, Prosciutto Toscano is made exclusively with pigs born, bred, fattened and slaughtered in Tuscany. All pig legs must be provided with the breeder’s certificate to prove their provenance.
The Tuscan hams are then salted and air cured for about 12 to 16 months whereas other Italian hams can only be salt-cured, Prosciutto Toscano can be cured and flavored with a blend of natural spices that are common in traditional Tuscan cuisine, including pepper, garlic, rosemary, and juniper.
As a result, Prosciutto Toscano is distinctly different in both appearance and taste from other prosciutto varieties. It is much darker in color with a layer of almost pink fat, has an intensely spicier taste and it's quite famous for its herbal aroma - the fragrant signature of Tuscany.
The experience of a fine dry cured meat.
In his book Heat: An Amateur’s Adventures as a Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany, writer Bill Buford quotes an Italian butcher:
“When I was young, there was one kind of prosciutto. It was made in the winter, by hand, and aged for two years. It was sweet when you smelled it. A profound perfume. Unmistakable. To age prosciutto is a subtle business. If it’s too warm, the aging process never begins. The meat spoils. If it’s too dry, the meat is ruined. It needs to be damp but cool. The summer is too hot. In the winter – that’s when you make salumi. Your prosciutto. Your soppressata. Your sausages.”
All this talk of expertly cured Italian meat surely has you craving a taste! Join us at Lucca Osteria, where you may sample a range of cured meats from prosciutto to salami. Order the Antipasto (pictured above) and you’ll be treated to prosciutto, salame felino, soppressata, mortadella, parmigiano, and olives!
Buon appetito!
