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Jewels in the Italian CrownGrana Padano and San Danielle ProsciuttoBy Carole Kotkin
Prosciutto is the Italian word for ham, but few other hams
are so fine in texture and so delectable in flavor they can be eaten in thin
slices. The Serrano of Spain or the Bayone of France share some of the same
characteristics, but nothing quite matches the rosy color, satiny smoothness and
sweet, meaty flavor of the best Italian prosciutto.
Carole Kotkin is the co-host of Food & Wine Talk, WDNA 88.9 FM; co-author MMMMiami—Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere; food editor of Wine News magazine; and manager of The Cooking School at The Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo. carolekotkin@adelphia.net |
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Cheese and ham may seem like humble products, but as I
discovered on a recent trip to Northern Italy, these specialties are among the
greatest glories of Italian cuisine. The craft that goes into the best of them
is every bit as exacting as the expertise that goes into winemaking. Grana Padano cheese and San Danielle prosciutto
are two of the most remarkable jewels in the Italian gastronomic crown.
Grana Padano, which has PDO status (product of designated
origin), is Italy's top selling cheese, but only 20% of production is exported.
“Grana” means grainy, which refers to the somewhat granular texture of the
cheese. “Padano” is an adjective describing the Po River Valley in Northern
Italy, where the cheese originated in the 12th century as a way for medieval
monasteries to preserve excess milk. The cheese is still made in this region
today from the milk of dried alfalfa and fermented corn fed cows, following the
strict guidelines of the Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Grana Padano.
Grana Padano is produced throughout the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy and
Veneto.
With an aging of 12 to 18 months, Grana Padano is like the
younger sibling of Parmigiano-Reggiano, which may be aged for as long as 24 to
30 months or more. Less expensive than its more famous counterpart, Grana Padano
remains very similar in taste and texture to Parmigiano-Reggiano, though it is a
milder and less complex cheese. It is clear from a factory visit that the cheese
is lovingly made and a great deal of work is involved as well as technical
expertise. Although Italy is proud of producing well over 400 types of cheese
(more even than France), one type or another of grana cheese is in 99% of
Italian homes. Other cheeses get sharper as they age; Grana Padano becomes
mellower and it’s unique texture is at once granular and creamy.
Look
for the four-leaf clover stamp that confirms the origin with the province’s code
and producer’s registration number. The next identifiers are pin-dot
lozenges stamped on the rind accompanied by the words grana Padano ensuring that
it is authentic Grana Padano. Most familiar grated over pasta or folded into
risotto or polenta, it is also magnificent broken into bite-sized chunks for
eating. Its nutty, buttery flavor is magic with wine, any wine, but most
especially a heady Amarone or rich Barolo.
For many years true Italian prosciutto was banned for import into the United States because U.S. officials
feared the uncooked hams would carry diseases to livestock in this country.
Americans made do with domestically produced hams made prosciutto style, some of
which were good, but none of which could measure up to a fine Italian example
like prosciutto San Daniele.
It is said that San Daniele del Friuli is the town
prosciutto built. This picturesque village of 8,000 located in
northeastern Italy between the Alps and the Adriatic, is the second largest prosciutto producer in Italy, producing more than 3 million air-cured hams a
year. San Daniele’s micro-climate alternates between dryness and humidity which
contributes to the prosciutto’s salty-sweet flavor and almost creamy texture.
Ask any local “Sandanielese” about the secrets to making this great ham and
he/she will reply, “Italian pork, the right amount of sea salt, time and San
Daniele air; that’s all there is to it.” The San Daniele Consortio del
Prosciutto di San Daniele maintain quality and uniformity through a rigorously
enforced breeding and production process. It is a process that, although fully
modernized and mechanized, has remained virtually unchanged for centuries. All
the pigs destined for San Daniele Prosciutto, which has the D.O.P.
certification, are raised and slaughtered in this region. The Italian government
protects the region by banning any industries with a high pollution risk. Hams
sold in Europe are aged 12 to 13 months; those destined for the United States
are aged 15 months. USDA authorities inspect the farms, slaughterhouses and
production facilities twice a year to guarantee the prosciutto is safe for US
consumption. When the pig is slaughtered, the thighs are shipped to a production
plant where they’re hand-massaged with sea salt, allowed to rest for three
months, washed and salted again and finally hung to air-dry and cure, making
them safe to eat without cooking. Everyone in San Daniele eats proscuitto,
sliced paper thin.
They eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They eat
it in pasta and on pasta, in omelets and layer it in sandwiches. Restaurants
serve prosciutto in overlapping folded-over slices with bread or bread sticks as
an appetizer. Its sweet-salty flavors play off fruit beautifully. Melon slices
wrapped with prosciutto make a classic appetizer, but proscuitto is also
wonderful with figs, pears, and even dates. The layer of creamy white fat that
surrounds the pink, lean meat contributes flavor and texture to the experience.
For centuries, every year at the end of June, the people of
San Daniele celebrate the inseparable link between the terroir and its ham, in a
festival, Aria di Festa, that turns San Daniele into a prosciutto tasting room
that has gained international renown.