Our journey to the discovery of San Daniele Dop continues and we are taking it with a new column, thanks to which we can explore the world of prosciutto Friulano with the five senses. If, as we have already seen, the sight plays no doubt a key role, the role of another of the five senses, i.e. the touch, is equally important to recognize a San Daniele. Indeed our prosciutto takes shape thanks to the hands of the craftsmen. Not by chance, among the features that distinguish it from the other Italian DOP hams, its peculiar manufacturing has certainly got a crucial role!
The touch in Prosciutto di San Daniele
Our master prosciutto makers know how to touch a true Prosciutto di San Daniele Dop: in San Daniele del Friuli they start with a real massage of the thighs with sea salt. This step, which requires a special manual skill, is called salting and it is an ancient preserving practice. The salt is spread on the rind and on the lean part and through the massage it gets into the meat. In this way the thigh is prepared for the next process: the pressing.
This too is an exclusive step of ours!The pressing requires that the thighs, separated by wooden boards, are arranged in overlapping rows. This is to ensure that, as the thighs are flattened under their own weight, they release water more easily and salt gets more easily into them at the same time. From this comes the legendary aroma of our delicacy!
But that is not enough, the contribution of touch for San Daniele Dop does not end here. The manual skill comes in also for the trimming, when the overhanging bone and meat are cut and the surface of the tighs is trimmed with a knife until it reaches a smooth shape that is pleasing to the eye.
Finally, after washing the prosciutti with hot water, we proceed to coat them with the grease putty. To protect and soften the surface that is not covered by rind, we spread with care and expert craftmanship a natural mixture made of suet, salt, black pepper and grain products (rice flour). This is another delicate procedure that only the experienced hands of skilled prosciutto makers can undertake masterfully for an unforgettable San Daniele Dop.
But then we should not forget that touch involves you too! Do you know how it feels to hold in your hand a prosciutto slice?If you don’t know yet, learn how to cut San Daniele Dop like a real pro and tell us about your experience!
