I am sure that a territory can be tasted when someone is able to condense nuances, aromas and colors on the plate. And this is exactly what you feel when you let yourself indulge in the scent of Prosciutto San Daniele DOP. In fact, when we take a slice from the cutting board ( better if you use your hands), you can savour the lightness and the flavor of the sweet white veins of fat that are in contrast with the saltiness of the meat. If we close our eyes, we realize that we are not only eating a slice of ham, but in that bite we are savouring the city of San Daniele, we are enjoying its landscape and its history. When we think about the hands of the prosciutto artisans, or we think about the wisdom they inherited from their fathers and which they will pass on to their children, it is through these hands and their art of processing that we know this small town in the hills of Friuli, rich in history, so good that you want to eat it.

Famous all over the world, the real secret of its processing is in the microclimate of this territory, from the encounter of the fresh currents of the Alps with the humid currents of the Adriatic, the nature of the territory favors ventilation by affecting the percentage of humidity and guaranteeing thus the optimal balance for maturing the hams.

Prosciutto di San Daniele comes from the expert hands of master prosciutto makers who, through ancient knowledge and strict rules, transform meat and salt into a masterpiece of taste and delicacy.

The processing consists of 9 phases:

SELECTION: chosen pigs are born, raised and slaughtered in Italy. They are followed during their growth and are fed controlled food. The selected thighs, weighing at least 12 kilograms, begin the manufacturing process where for 24 hours they are left at a temperature between -1 ° and 3 ° to make them tone;

SALTING: they are covered with sea salt and left at a temperature between 0 ° and 4 ° for a number of days corresponding to the number of kilograms of their weight;

PRESSING: they are pressed along the muscle mass in order to make the salt penetrate deeply, this phase gives it the characteristic guitar shape;

REST: the thighs are left to rest in special rooms where a humidity between 70-80% and a temperature between 4 ° and 6 ° is maintained. This phase lasts up to the fourth month from the start of processing and allows the salt to penetrate evenly;

WASHING: they are washed with warm water which favors the toning of the meat and the ripening process begins;

SEASONING: the strict rules require this process to take place exclusively within the municipal area of ​​San Daniele and to last until the thirteenth month from the start of processing, maintaining optimal conditions of temperature, humidity and ventilation;

SUGNATURA: on the uncovered part of the rind is applied a paste of pork fat and rice or wheat flour, in order to protect and soften that portion of meat;

POINTING: through a horse bone inserted in different points of the meat, maturation and goodness are assessed through the sense of smell;

MARKING: the last checks on the product take place only with the thirteenth month and the hams that pass the control are certified and branded with the San Daniele DOP (Protecte Designation of Origin) brand.

San Daniele is about forty kilometers from Cividale and is certainly worth a visit for its historic center and for the numerous prosciutto factories where you can taste the prosciutto and we advise you to taste it in the simplest and tastiest way, wrapped on a breadstick.