Cured Meat Stage: day 1

rainy day, perfect for rolling around the mud at a pig farm --->
as part of the master's program, we take study trips which fall under two categories: thematic or territorial. today was our first one and the theme was cured meat. specifically, proscuitto di parma. our first stop was an introduction at the Consorzio del Proscuitto di Parma with Paolo Tramelli. the consorzio, started in 1963 to create fixed rules to preserve an italian tradition, is a private association that represents all the producers of parma ham. the point of the consorzio is to join the producers resources together to promote the product. we learned that farmers in parma can produce ham, but they have to follow regulations and be part of authorized slaughter houses and farms to authentically be considered proscuitto di parma. we learned about the history, the requirements, the imitation products, marketing/advertising/launching new international markets, the seal of guarantee, traditions, financial problems, and future goals.

we then headed south of Parma to Corcagnano to visit the Cascina Costa pig farm. i think any first and lasting impression anyone is going to have is the smell - peeeuw! and a variety of smells too in different parts of the farm that wouldn't subtly arise, but sneak up on you and

stricke you right in the entire nasal passage and cling onto your clothes, stain your skin and absorb into your hair.

we saw all stages of the life of a pig: pregnant, to piglets, to dead piglets, to 40 days old, to fattened up, to being gutted. this was a typical, middle sized farm. i dont know if we think of prosciutto di parma as coming from local, small scale, family-owned farms which equates to happy pigs frolicking in flowery fields with the shine shining in clear blue skies and warming their fat pink backs, but a lot of the pigs looked uncomfortable in their pens...cages?...and way too overweight to be able to walk. i guess i don't know enough about it, but i don't see the difference between fattening these pigs until they unnaturally can't walk anymore (prosciutto di parma comes from the rear

legs so they want it to be big and the fat adds the popular texture and flavor so they want them to be lazy) and with foie gras (the geese are forced fed to fatten their livers, but according to jules, geese naturally fattening their livers so they'd be able to migrate in the winter). the pigs aren't fed hormones or antibiotics (unless sick) and they live off parmesan why and cereal (not necessarily organic either, which is another interesting consideration, but it could also have something to do with EU laws/standards that are already in place?) i dont know. it was interesting to see, and not horrible or inhumane or made me a vegetarian, in fact, despite all the pigs and the foreshadowing slaughter ahead of their lives, we were all starving!

we had lunch on the top Taverna del Castello in Torrecchiara. it was basically a castle on top of a hill. we had fantastic varieties of bread,

chunks of parmesan, red wine (those go so well together) sparkling wine, charcuterie plate - prosciutto, porchetta, coppa and salami - and tortelli - d'erbetta and pumpkin & amaretto cookie and then dessert. the last thing anyone could focus on was another tour and lesson.

off we were, full stomachs, to Langhirano to visit the Prosciuttificio Slega - the production factory where the pig's rear legs are sent to endure the curing process. arina hated the smell, but it smelt exactly like when you tear open a package of pre-sliced proscuitto - a mix of plastic, air, cured meat, waxiness. it was fun to see all the different stages the leg goes through and how the salt, the only preservative used, affects it. salting is one of the most important processes (although we didn't learn exactly

what type of salt they use, or what importance that has) and a

nother one is the air. when the air is right - as the environment in the region is - they open the windows to the let the aromatic breeze in, east to west from the sea, and that gives it its distinctive flavor. however, the factory was in the middle of town - not in the middle of some field like i imagined. they do have laws about what industries and factories can be in the area, but i guess it's not as romanticized.

it was fascinating to see all the legs of ham hanging in the factory - i took tons of pics - and surprisingly learned that proscuitto di parma (despite that stark white strip of fat which does add to the smooth deliciousness) attached to it contains proteins and vitamins, is low in cholesterol and contains oleic acids found in olive oil, the saturated fats turn to unsaturated fats during the curing process and nothing is added to it except for salt, so, eat up, it's quite healthy!