We’ve always loved prosciutto but recently we’ve been on kind of a prosciutto kick which means we’ve been buying a lot of it and looking for new ways to eat it. We got to wondering if there really was a difference between the domestic varieties or the ‘real’ imported stuff.
Around these parts we’ve come across both the domestic and the imported prosciutto varieties. Since we’re always looking for a deal we bought the domestic sort because it was $14 a pound instead of $20 a pound like the imported prosciutto was – which is owies on the wallet. Besides how different can two salt-and-air cured pig legs be, right?
(Okay, click here if you really must know all the gritty details)
We’ve tried tons of the stuff because: a) we love it, and b) it’s awesome. The best we’ve had was everything prosciutto should be: silky, salty, sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth (literally) delicious. On the other hand, the worst we’ve had was horridly wretchedly awful stuff: tough, bland, and impossible to chew.
So how does the affordable domestic prosciutto rate? Pretty darn highly actually. Though it’s not as soft and succulent as the best Italian prosciutto we’ve had – there’s a bit more ‘substance’ to it – it’s still really tasty. Even good enough to be served unadorned as it is in Italy (order a ‘Prosciutto Plate’ and you get just that…prosciutto…on a plate) it’s very, very good on our Prosciutto Wrapped Figs with Herbed Goat Cheese. Or, for the quickest appetizer ever, just wrap ut around bite-size chunks of cantaloupe.
Regardless of how you choose to serve it, to us it’s just not worth the extra $6 a pound to get less than $6 worth of flavor and texture gains, so sayeth we. We’ll stick with our domestic stuff and spend the extra $6 on a bottle ‘o wine ‘cuz that’s how we roll.
I buy the domestic stuff -b/c of price. It’s hard to justify $24 a pound!!!
That’s exactly how we feel, it’s just not worth the extra $$$. Thanks for popping in, Jaden! You rawk!!!
I have to disagree about the taste, to a point. What justifies the extra 6 bucks, for me, is the much “piggier” taste of the real thing. But, I don’t use prosciutto di Parma in cooking. The domestic varieties are great for either cooking or eating. But, I always find myself eating the domestic ones and thinking…just not the same. Great post =]
I’ll say that why I don’t like spending more than necessary on most food items, prosciutto is one of those things that I find the extra money definitely pays off in flavor. The $20 stuff is definitely better in taste (in my opinion) than the $12 stuff. And since I’m typically only buying 1/4 lb at a time, we’re talking about a $2.00 difference. I can handle that.
Gayle/Abadeeba: It feels silly to say this, but we never considered how small a price difference it really was…and we’ve never used more than 1/4 pound or so, either (that’s, like, a million sheets or something!). And ‘pigginess’ is what we’re going for, after all. We we’re just talking about this last night (as it relates to Pancetta) and had reached the conclusion that pigginess was what we liked about it…guess we’ll have to pony up for the imported stuff for a taste test. Thanks for the comments!!
Great work.
I love this blog
Anyway, I’ve found that the domestic/less expensice Proscuitto, if thinly sliced, works well in cooked dishes such as Saltimbocca or bacon/Proscuitto wrapped baked scallops.
However, the higher end imported varietes are better for eating as-is since they’re usually more delicate and less chewy.
Although, I once found a rosemarry infused domestic proscuitto at the local market that was out of this work. I guess it’s hit or miss.
I’ve always found proscuitto tough: gets stuck in your teeth. I discovered that chorizo was the same, until I was advised to cook it. Has anyone found that cooking proscuitto makes it edible?