Prosciutto refers to a popular Italian dish that uses dry-cured ham which is mostly served uncooked. As the dish is widely available in a number of different regions, you may find different variations of Prosciutto.
Why Is Prosciutto So Expensive?
While there is no doubt that people love eating Prosciutto, it is usually labeled at a high price in the market. As a result, a question pops into the mind of many users, “Why Prosciutto is so expensive?”
If you are also someone who is wondering the same thing, then this article should be of great help to you. Through the article, we will be listing all the different reasons why Prosciutto usually costs too much. So, let’s not waste any time further and get right into it!
- Curing Process
The processing involved in making a Prosciutto isn’t anything simple. In fact, it is a lengthy and complex process that could even stretch to months or years, depending on who and how it is being made. The process involves curing which is one of the oldest techniques for preserving any type of food.
During the process, salt is added to the meat which helps in extracting water from the meat and preserve it. Adding salt also helps protect the meat from harmful bacteria throughout the preservation process.
It is also important to note that curing can also involve various other processes which can include cooking, smoking, nitrite, spicing, and more. This is also why you may find different varieties of Prosciutto as each one of them uses a completely different process with curing.
The reason why curing is a major process involved in making Prosciutto is simply because it is what mainly gives your meat a distinct flavor and color. However, due to this curing process, you will notice any type of cured meat (which involves Prosciutto) to be expensive.
- Additives Involved
While the traditional process of making a Prosciutto involves the only salt, people also like to add other additives in order to enhance the taste or flavor of the product. For instance, additives like nitrate and nitrites during the curing process helps in improving the color of the meat.
Keep in mind that there are plenty of drawbacks to adding additives to your meat. As most additives are artificial, they can be dangerous for our health. Furthermore, these additives are also responsible for increasing the price of the product.
So, if the Prosciutto has additional additives used in its curing process, you will find it to be more expensive than the traditional one.
- Drying Phase
Apart from the curing process, the preparation process is another lengthy process involved in making Prosciutto. It is also one of the factors behind the high price of prosciutto. Once the salt has been applied to meat and it has been thoroughly rinsed, the meat is then required to dry.
The drying period can vary as it completely depends on the individual’s preference. Depending on the dryness and flavor of the meat, the time period of drying prosciutto can even take up to 36 months!
- Importing Cost
AS mentioned earlier, prosciutto is mainly an Italian dish. So, if you were to purchase original Italian prosciutto, you will have to spend quite a few bucks. Not only is it expensive to get the meat from all the way to Italy, but there also seem to be a significant impact on price because of the meat’s quality.
On the other hand, there are a few brands that should sell prosciutto that is significantly cheaper. Unfortunately, these won’t give you the same mouth-watering experience as the original prosciutto or any high-quality cured meat.
The Bottom Line:
Why is prosciutto so expensive? This is a question that many people seem to ask. While there are a number of different reasons for the high price, we highly encourage you to give this article a thorough read. You should be able to find all these reasons in the article.