About Prosciutto di Parma® - Big Y® World Class Market®

The appeal of Prosciutto di Parma® is as much about tradition as it is taste. Indeed, the two are inseparable. The earliest examples of prosciutto (from the Italian "prosciugare", to dry out) date back 2,000 years to when the Romans first used salt to cure hams. Over the years, that process has been refined and perfected so that the lovely, rose-colored Parma Ham® of today is less salty and more delicately flavored than its predecessors.

QUALITY
The Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma® strictly regulates all aspects of the production of Prosciutto di Parma®, including the shape, weight, aroma and color. Under their guidance, a strict 400-day, three-stage process is followed to ensure the quality and consistency of imported Parma Ham®:

Stage 1: The raw hams, which are cut in the distinctive shape of a chicken leg, are rubbed with a coating of sea salt and refrigerated at 34 degrees. Over the next 25 days, they are periodically massaged and kneaded and the salt is brushed off and reapplied by the prosciutto artisans.
Stage 2: The prosciutti are hung to dry in special rooms with tall windows, where they are bathed in the sea breezes that blow from the Ligurian sea and over the Appenine mountains. This sweet air, or "aria dolce," is just one of the unique elements in the creation of Prosciutto di Parma® that cannot be reproduced anywhere else in the world.
Stage 3: The hams next spend five months in a cool, still aging room that is purposely built half underground. During this stage, the meat, which has hardened as it air-dried, turns soft and rosy pink again and becomes Prosciutto di Parma®.

Throughout this process, the hams are constantly monitored for quality. Only those that meet the high standards established by the Consorzio and Italian and U.S. authorities are stamped with the Ducal Crown® and proclaimed, "Prosciutto di Parma®".