Prosciutto and Parma Ham

Prosciutto is simply the Italian word for ham. What we call prosciutto, the Italians call Parma ham. In Parma, Italy, they have bred an excellent strain of pigs just for prosciutto, feeding them the whey that is left over from the making of Parmesan, which gives the meat its very delicate flavor. The hams are seasoned, salt-cured, air-dried, and pressed so that the flesh is very firm. Our very favorite prosciutto is San Daniele, which actually comes not from Parma but from a little village near the mountains in the very north of Italy. There the pigs eat acorns, and the ham is very pale pink, very tender, sweet, and delicately flavored.