Meat · Cured & processed meats

Prosciutto / dry-cured ham

Raw, salt-cured, air-dried ham (prosciutto, jamón serrano) sliced paper-thin and eaten uncooked.

Also called: prosciutto crudo, parma ham, serrano ham, jamón serrano, jamón, presunto, cured ham

Around the world: prosciutto crudo (it) · jamón serrano (es) · presunto (pt)

A kind of ham

10 recipes with it

Photo: Udo Schröter, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-2.0)

What it is

Dry-cured hams are pork legs salted and hung to air-dry for many months, sometimes years. Italian prosciutto crudo (e.g. Parma, San Daniele) is sweet and delicate; Spanish jamón serrano and ibérico are firmer and more intense; Portuguese presunto is similar. They are eaten raw, unlike cooked ham.

How it’s used

Antipasti with melon or figs
Wrapped around veal (saltimbocca), chicken or asparagus
On pizza after baking
Crisped as a garnish
Tapas with bread and tomato

Characteristics

Taste: Salty-sweet, nutty and savoury.
Texture: Silky and melting when thinly sliced.
When cooked: Becomes crisp and much saltier when cooked; add to pizza after baking to keep its texture.
Sold as: cured
Cooking uses: Usually eaten raw, Used as a garnish
Common in: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Mediterranean

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep sliced ham sealed in the fridge and eat within a couple of days of opening; bring to room temperature before serving for best flavour.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy-free
Egg-free
Gluten-free
Nut-free
Soy-free
Caffeine-free

Eaten uncooked; some health agencies advise pregnant people to avoid raw cured meats or freeze them first, because of Toxoplasma and Listeria.
Processed meat, high in salt.