Prosciutto

What it is

Prosciutto crudo is a whole pork leg cured with salt and aged for months to over a year, producing a delicate, sweet-salty, melt-on-the-tongue ham. Prized examples like Prosciutto di Parma and San Daniele carry protected designations and are aged and controlled to strict standards. Prosciutto cotto, by contrast, is cooked ham — milder and moister, a different product.

For topping bread, crudo is the star: sliced almost translucent, it drapes and folds beautifully and needs no cooking.

Using it on focaccia

The cardinal rule is to add crudo after the bake. Thin cured ham dries out and turns tough and overly salty under oven heat; laid over a hot, just-baked focaccia, it warms through, softens, and releases its aroma while keeping its silky texture.

It pairs naturally with fresh, creamy, and peppery partners — mozzarella or stracciatella, arugula, a drizzle of good oil, shavings of Parmesan, or sweet notes like fig. A prosciutto-and-arugula focaccia, dressed after baking, is a classic aperitivo or sandwich base.

Choosing and storing

Buy it freshly sliced from a deli where you can see it cut thin, or good-quality pre-sliced packs; the slices should be a rosy pink with clean white fat and a fresh, sweet smell. Because it is already cured, treat it as ready-to-eat. Keep it cold and use opened packs within a couple of days, as the thin slices dry quickly.