Even though this sounds like a bizarre statement, we are really telling you that it also takes a good ear to make a great Prosciutto di San Daniele! We’ve already told you how taste, sight, touch and smell are very much involved into the manifacturing and maturing process, but not everyone knows that also hearing is called to action by the Master Prosciutto makers. And it even has an essential role, one of the utmost importance!
Besides, a few years ago someone said that there is a genuine connection between sound and food, turning it into music. We’re talking about Roy Paci, artist and musician, expert gastronome and Slow Food’s historic ambassador. Paci coined the term Gastrophony with the intention of emphasizing how every food is associated with specific vibrations or frequencies, so much that it is possible to bring up a sound for every product. Music and food would therefore be parallel universes capable of literally generating symphonies of flavors. In short, any food has a matching sound. And don’t you guys think a true San Daniele Dop should sound divine?
Hearing and San Daniele? Our prosciutto makes a really nice sound, listen!
Back to our dear Prosciutto di San Daniele, we really have no idea with what musical genre we can associate it. And even though we might imagine a sweet and fascinating melody, what we know for sure is that sounds have an important role during the periodic checks carried out during the maturing process.
You must know that during the so-called beating (that is the percussion that helps to evaluate the texture), the right sound tells us if the thighs of prosciutto di San Daniele are aging correctly. With the same horse bone used to pierce the meat, the craftsman taps the back part of the ham, on the rind. If the sound derived from this operation is compact and consistent, it means that the product is carrying out the maturing process well, that we’re on track. If the sound is hollow, it means that the meat isn’t matured properly and that the prosciutto needs further checks. If everything sounds good, our San Daniele is ready to be sliced and eaten.
And what should we say about the river Tagliamento? What should we say about the winds that sweep through our hamlet? The sweet sound of these breezes and the beautiful ticking of the water are the perfect soundtrack that is an intrinsic part of the ecosystem in which we are immersed. It is essential in shaping an absolute gem of Made In Italy. If the gentle breezes that sail through our village, perfectly tempering the humidity and the heat, did not exist, we wouldn’t have the ideal conditions to mature our San Daniele. The same applies to the Tagliamento. Thanks to this river the wind currents are being channelled in our valley, creating this microclimate that is close to perfection. In other words, it is a symphony of sounds that shrouds San Daniele del Friuli.
What sound would you associate with our Prosciutto di San Daniele?