By law Prosciutto di Parma can only be made in the hills around Parma; the unique conditions of the Parma region have made it possible to produce the highest quality hams.
All Parma Ham authorized producers must be located within the geographical boundaries of the Parma production area, South of the Emilia way not less than 5 km from it and up to a maximum altitude of 900 metres, bordered, to the East, by the River Enza and, to the West, by the Stirone stream.
Hams produced in the same region but not meeting the requirements set by the Consorzio cannot be branded with the official certification mark – the Parma Crown – and are not authorized to bear the name Parma, even if they originate from the Parma area.
Where it is made
Prosciutto di Parma production area
Parma Ham Festival
Since its launch in 1997, the Parma Ham Festival has become an unmissable event for celebrating and tasting the King of Hams in all its many facets. A feast with music and good food held in a unique setting, among the natural and cultural beauties of the Parma and Langhirano areas.
Finestre Aperte (Open Windows) is the beating heart of the event. An exceptional occasion, in which the ham production sites open their doors to allow enthusiasts to observe the entire production cycle. The producers themselves reveal the secret that – through a magic combination of climate, tradition and passion – turns pig legs into Prosciutto di Parma, one of the products that are a worldwide symbol of Made in Italy.
Between art and gastronomy
The Museum of Prosciutto of Parma is part of the Food Museums circuit in the province of Parma, which includes the Parmigiano Reggiano Museum in Soragna, the Tomato Museum in Collecchio and the Salame Museum in Felino.
The Museum is in Langhirano, the capital of Prosciutto di Parma, in the renovated Foro Boario building, a splendid 1928 example of rural architecture, used in the past as a cattle market, located in an area strongly characterized by the processing and maturing of pork meats.
The exhibition reconstructs, on the one hand, the production process of the fine products of Parma’s deli meat art – “from Pig to Cured Meats” – and on the other is a sort of ideal journey from ancient pork butchery traditions to today’s production methods.
There are eight thematic sections with photographic materials, historical documents, machinery and audio-visual projections. The different sections highlight:
- the local area and its history;
- the pig breeds used in prosciutto production;
- the historical, political and food-production role of salt;
- pork butchery and its traditional methods;
- the Parma cured meats fragrant with tradition;
- the extraordinary gastronomic wealth;
- the processing of prosciutto;
- Prosciutto di Parma Consortium for the protection of quality.
