The gastronomic culture of Emilia Romagna is able to count among its excellences a large number of high quality cold cuts. Among these, a special mention must surely be given to Prosciutto di Modena DOP.
Derived from the thigh of heavy white pig, this cured meat is produced exclusively in the hilly area developed around the basin of the river Panaro and its confluent valleys, remaining below 900 meters of altitude. Findings and authoritative bibliographies make this area a fundamental point of reference for the processing of pork that seems to go back to the time of the Etruscans.
The quality of the salami and all the phases of its production are subject to careful control by the consortium of the same name which, since 1969, has taken care to monitor its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics. In 1996 the ham obtained the Dop recognition.
The raw material is fundamental. It is exclusively from animals born, bred and slaughtered in the regions of Emilia Romagna, Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, Molise, Umbria, Tuscany, Marche, Abruzzo, Lazio and Friuli Venezia Giulia, excluding sows and boars.
The processing begins with the trimming of the fresh leg. It is then salted (first and second salt), rested, washed and dried, and finally matured for at least 14 months. After the appropriate controls, the hams finally obtain the quality mark.
