Prosciutto Toscano

Prosciutto Toscano (Tuscan ham, Tuscan prosciutto) is an Italian dry-cured ham made throughout Tuscany from the hind legs of heavy pigs. It is rubbed with salt plus pepper and local herbs and berries, then aged for at least 10 to 12 months. The ham is round with an arched top and carries a brand in the outline of Tuscany.

The pigs are at least 9 months old and about 160 kg live weight, Large White and Landrace, from 11 Italian regions, raised under the same rules as for Parma and San Daniele hams. A trimmed fresh leg weighs 11.8 kg or more; the trotter, rind and some inner fat are removed with a V-shaped cut.

The leg is chilled for at least a day at −2…+2 °C, trimmed into an arch and fitted with a steel «P.T.» seal showing the month and year work began. Salting must start within 120 hours of slaughter — dry, with salt, pepper and natural aromas. Then come resting, a wash in warm water without disinfectants, drying, «sugnatura» with lard, flour, salt and pepper, and ageing at 12–25 °C with ventilation. Hams of 7.5–8.5 kg age 10 months or more, heavier ones 12; hams for slicing get 2 months extra.

PDO status came with Regulation (EC) 1107/96 of 12 June 1996, and the specification was amended in 2010 and 2013. It gives no history of its own.

The cut shows bright to light red lean with little marbling and pure white fat with pink veins. The taste is delicate, with just the right saltiness and a characteristic aroma.

Where a deli ham is usually cooked, Prosciutto Toscano is raw and dry-cured, with pepper and local herbs and berries in the salting mix. That mix, a shorter minimum ageing and a higher salt cap — up to 8.3 % against 4.3–6.0 % in San Daniele — set it apart from Prosciutto di Parma and Prosciutto di San Daniele. Prosciutto di Modena is pear-shaped and salted with sea salt only.

The brand is burned in three lines, «PROSCIUTTO TOSCANO DOP», over the borders of Tuscany, with four stars at the upper right. Two digits give the producer number, a capital letter the month ageing began. «DOP» is the Italian spelling of PDO, the EU's Protected Designation of Origin. Sliced packs are filled only in Tuscany, so the same name should appear on a pre-sliced pack from the supermarket deli counter or an Italian delicatessen.

Why this matters to you: the letter on the brand tells you when the ham started ageing, and the pepper and herbs in the ingredients are a rule, not a whim of the maker. If you want a prosciutto crudo with a spicier aroma, look for the four stars.