A food of great tradition dating back to ancient Rome, today the best-quality cooked ham is sourced from the regions of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria and Emilia-Romagna.
“Prosciutto cotto” is Italian for “cooked ham” and refers to ham that has been cooked or boiled rather than dry-cured like traditional Prosciutto.
Sourced only from pigs’ thighs, the selection process begins at the factory, where the finest product is picked out, boned and has brine injected with an infusion of spices and salt. The thighs then enter the churning process, ensuring they evenly absorb the brine and mould into the correct shape. Following this, they are then steam cooked at around 70°C and finally cooled at 0°C.
Unlike cured cold meats, cooked ham is more delicate, both in terms of how it conserves and its maximum shelf life, meaning it requires greater care to hold its organoleptic properties.
Fratelli Beretta’s traditional recipe cooked ham is mild in flavour thanks to being seasoned with an infusion of spices including mace, rosemary and cloves. During the boning process, the thigh is trimmed rather than cut, which both reduces the stress on the meat and ensures that the slice is as soft as possible.
