A whole ham is pear-shaped. The meat is bright red and aromatic, and less salty than some other prosciuttos.
They may be sold whole with the bone in it, boned or sliced.
The hams are taken from 9 month old pigs that can be raised in ten Regions of Italy: Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Lombardy, Marche, Molise, Piedmont, Tuscany, Umbria and Veneto.
The fresh hams are chilled down to 32 F (0 C), and trimmed of excess fat, then salted, and kept at 35 F (2 C) for 8 weeks. Then they are washed and cleaned, but rubbed with a paste made from flour, lard, salt and pepper, then aged for a year.
A finished one with bone-in weighs a minimum of 15 1/2 pounds (7 kg.) The average weight is usually 17 1/2 to 22 pounds (8 to 10 kg.)
History Notes
The “Consorzio del Prosciutto di Modena DOP” (“Modena Ham Producers’ Association”) was established in 1969.
Prosciutto di Modena received its Italian “Denomination of Origin” on 12 January 1990.
It received its European PDO on 21 June 1996.