prosciutto

The following few lines about prosciutto have been inspired by: Jeremy of DoBianchi with his post and photo essay on prosciutto di San Daniele, and Susan of Food Blogga with her delicious recipe for Wild Arugula, Cantaloupe, and Watermelon Salad with Prosciutto and Blue Cheese.

As I mentioned in a previous post, prosciutto is one of the two items that I buy as soon as possible after arriving in Italy. My husband likes to open the package of prosciutto (usually San Daniele) and eat slice after slice of it over granetti. The other famous Italian prosciutto crudo (raw) is prosciutto di Parma. When we visit my family in Perugia, my mother may buy prosciutto nostrano (local, i.e., produced in Umbria). Besides prosciutto crudo (of many other types, besides the ones mentioned) there is also prosciutto cotto (cooked). Speck is a special kind of prosciutto, disossato e affumicato (boned and smoked) typical of Alto Adige.

I have a few bites to share that include prosciutto. Besides prosciutto e melone (with cantaloupe), a classic summer dish in Italy, when meloni are plentiful and flavorful, the pairing with fresh fichi (figs) is also quite nice. My favorite way of eating prosciutto is with torta al testo.

According to my memory, my father and my aunt used to purchase half a pig every year, and we would then get raw braciole (pork chops) and salsicce (sausages), and cured meat: prosciutto, spalla (shoulder), capocollo, etc. We had a special rack to keep the prosciutto ready to be sliced. Besides prosciutto e melone for dinner, we would eat pane e prosciutto as a snack (plain bread, prosciutto and nothing else). I took all this for granted, as it had been part of my life for as long as I could remember.

There are a few interesting Italian expressions that include prosciutto:

• levarsi la sete col prosciutto (literally, to quench one's thirst with prosciutto): to do something that makes things worse (since prosciutto, being salty, is bound to make one thirstier)
• avere gli orecchi foderati di prosciutto (literally, to have one's ears covered with prosciutto): to be deaf, or to pretend to be deaf
• avere gli occhi foderati di prosciutto (literally, to have one's eyes covered with prosciutto): to be blind to reality, to obvious things.

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Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post: 

prosciutto

or launch the  prosciutto  audio file [mp3].

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Comments

[Lucy]

I ate prosciutto e melone in Rome...it was spectacularly good.

I love those three expressions Simona!

[Paz]

I love the expressions, too. Also love prosciutto. I should have taken more advantage of my stay in Parma and eaten more of their prosciutto. ;-)

Paz

[Lisa]

Man, do I want some prosciutto now! Why did you do this to me? ;) The torta al testo looks so delicious; I had never heard of it before this.

And I adore the expressions, especially the one about quenching one's thirst! Thank you, once again, for a wonderfully interesting post.

[Lori Lynn]

It might just make me thirstier, but I still want to quench my thirst with that delicious prosciutto!

The expressions are charming. I wish I spoke Italian so I could use them!

[Simona]

Hi Lucy, indeed, the simple combination can be spectacular, if the ingredients are of good quality.

With prosciutto and parmigiano, Parma is really a city to love, dear Paz.

Thanks, Lisa. Torta al testo is very regional. It is also known with a few other names in the same area. I love it. I must learn to make it.

I know, Lori Lynn, the expression looks different from the perspective of people craving delicious prosciutto.

[b]

I love proscuitto wrapped around my chicken breasts...cooked or not:D

[Susan from Food Blogga]

Thank you for the link, Simona! I just tasted speck for the first time last winter when we went to Mozza in LA. It was on a pizza, and it was delicious. As for prosciutto with figs, ah heaven.

[Simona]

Sounds good, valli.

Glad you liked it, Susan. Heaven, just as you say.