1 - RECEIPT OF FRESH LEGS AND SALTING
The pork thigh, selected directly at the slaughterhouse by expert staff in contact with Gallina Mario, checked also from a documentary point of view by quality control, is trimmed by our operators and, if deemed suitable to our production standards, is salted manually. At this stage, if the leg meets all the requirements to become a PDO Parma Ham, the identification seal is affixed to the leg. Marine salt is the only ingredient that allows the meat processed in our production site to be preserved. This is absorbed in the first 20 days (or so) of the product’s life when, after being passed under the rollers of a mechanical massager, it is left to rest on horizontal pallets. The combination of these operations favours the penetration of the salt and its homogenous internal distribution, by osmosis.
2 and 3 - WASHING, DRYING AND PRE - SEASONING
After grooming, in which the product’s surface is made smoother and more uniform, the “recovered” hams move on to the washing phase in which any surface salt and/or impurities are removed with potable water.
This is followed by drying, which can also take place by exploiting natural environmental conditions, a phase in which the ham prepares for the next stages of maturation in cool, non-refrigerated rooms.
Placed on “scalera”, the product begins its pre-seasoning, a delicate and carefully monitored phase in which it is important to control the cycles of two environmental and product parameters: humidity and temperature.
4 - THE SUGNATURA
About 7 months after salting, the uncovered muscle strips and the area around the nut are <<“salted”>> with a gluten-free mixture of pork fat, salt, rice flour and other ingredients that vary, from producer to producer (within certain limits).
The suet is to be considered a technological adjuvant, necessary to guarantee a good ripening of the product, preventing the superficial parts from drying out too quickly compared to the internal ones.
5 - MATURING
In our wooden seasoning rooms, product maturation takes place, characterised by important biochemical and enzymatic processes that give the product its characteristic flavour.
A product dried uniformly, in favourable environmental conditions constantly monitored by staff working with dedication and skill, handing down and guarding the secrets of the trade, can reserve for those who taste it the surprise of an unmistakable aroma, with the scent of the cellar.
Our mission is to offer a product with a delicate aroma and an authentic taste… in short, with a unique and recognisable character!
7 - BRANDING
At the end of the long certification process, after careful examination to verify the regularity of the previous steps and the achievement of the unmistakable and distinctive organoleptic requirements, the Gallina ham is ready.
In order for the product to continue to qualify as Prosciutto di Parma PDO, the characteristic firebrand must be affixed, an operation that is carried out strictly in the presence of a certifying person from the CSQA inspection body, responsible for monitoring the supply chain.
The ducal crown assures the final consumer of the authenticity of the product and makes it immediately recognisable.