During the holidays, food is the common thread of happiness. And excellent products become a natural choice. This is why the Festa del Redentore in Venice this year has been enriched with an Italian excellence, Prosciutto di Parma, which has conquered the Lagoon during the days of the Festa Famosissima with an event with tasting at the fish market of the Rialto Market and the partnership with some of the city’s venues, which have served Prosciutto di Parma with the traditional aperitif cicchetti.

The goal? To make the uniqueness of the Parma product known. Thanks to the Consortium of Parma Ham, we too immersed ourselves in the Venetian festive atmosphere to discover everything about one of the most beloved cured meats.

All about Parma Ham

The production area

Parma Ham is a DOP product. At the Redentore festival we discovered that it can be made exclusively in a limited area of the province of Parma – an area located at least 5 km south of the Via Emilia, which extends up to 900 m above sea level and is bordered to the east by the Enza river and to the west by the Stirone stream – because only in this area do all the ideal climatic conditions for the natural seasoning of the product take place.

What are the ingredients of Parma Ham?

To produce Parma Ham, we use only 2 ingredients: pork meat rigorously born and raised in Italy and sea salt. No preservatives or additives have ever been used. The ancient processing techniques and the slow refinement in an ideal environment, for at least fourteen months, allow it to develop its historic and unmistakable sweetness.

How do you recognize real Parma Ham?

There are several elements to take into consideration to recognize the real Parma Ham:

1. There fire-stamped ducal crown It is the unmistakable element that distinguishes it. Imprinted on the ham, printed on the trays: the crown must always be present.
2. The color: must be vivid, lively, vibrant.
3. The fat: the fat part must be a nice white, maybe even slightly tending towards pink, but it must absolutely not be yellow.
4. THE crystals: sometimes you can find white crystals in the slice of more seasoned ham. It is important to know that they are not a defect. They are tyrosine crystals, the enzyme that allows proteolysis, or the breakdown of proteins into individual amino acids. If you find the crystals under your teeth, it simply means that the product is seasoned.

Nutritional characteristics

A moderate fat content, many mineral saltsvitamins and easily digestible proteinsmake it a product suitable for everyone including children, the elderly and athletes. It is highly digestible, thanks to the content of excellent quality proteins and the natural proteolysis that occurs during seasoning (the breakdown of proteins into molecules
smaller and in single amino acids). It is great for athletesthanks to the detoxifying and anti-fatigue action of free amino acids, which constitute more than 20% of the total protein content and contribute to the repair of muscle damage due to wear and tear suffered during movement. It helps to fight and inhibit the action of free radicals thanks to the presence of natural antioxidants, such as vitamin E and selenium. The total lipid component is of quality, thanks to the high content of unsaturated fatty acids (64.9%). Finally, Parma Ham provides a good amount of precious minerals with high bioavailability, i.e. easily absorbed by the body, such as iron.