Fresh legs, as stated in the Parma Ham PDO specification, come exclusively from pigs born and raised in Italy.
We select and use only meat from “mature” pigs, which are the most suitable for processing and long aging.
The legs, which we select one by one to guarantee the absence of defects, are always over 14 kg in weight.
After resting overnight to stabilise the temperature, the fresh legs are treated by the hands of an expert who doses the salt according to the weight and fat content of the ham.
A week later, a second salting is carried out at the end of which, after a cleaning phase, the leg is massaged by hand so that the salt penetrates the meat evenly.
After another two weeks, the hams are hung vertically for the first time and placed in resting cells for about 100 days.
At the end of this period, grooming is carried out to remove protruding parts of the meat and the hip bone. This is followed by thorough washing.
The hams are moved to new rooms known as first curing rooms.
These are air-conditioned rooms designed to maintain an optimal thermo-hygrometric balance.
Finally, the hams are hung on the traditional wooden ladders and the large windows facing each other promote natural ventilation that will contribute decisively to the maturing of the flavour and aroma of the meat.
Arriving at the seventh month of maturation, the exposed part of the meat around the bone is covered by hand with a thin layer of suet: a mixture of pork fat, rice flour, salt and pepper.
This delicate operation serves to protect and soften the lean part of the leg.
At this point, the ham continues its maturation until twelve months when, after a scrupulous check, it is branded with the Parma Ham Consortium crown.
In the subsequent phase of maturation in the cellar, our hams are periodically tested, one by one, by means of a pointed needle made from a horse bone.
Its porosity retains the aromas and scents of the meat and our experts, by sniffing it, are able to perceive the degree of maturation and quality of each individual piece.
This is until the end of the seasoning process.
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