Prosciutto di Carpegna PDO has officially landed in Australia, bringing one of Italy’s most prized cured meats to local shelves just in time for spring entertaining. While most Australians are familiar with Prosciutto di Parma and Prosciutto di San Daniele, this is the first time the rare and distinctive Carpegna variety has been widely available here. This 'small batch' proscuitto is produced in single plant in Italy, overseen by a limited number of master butchers.
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For nearly two centuries, Prosciutto di Carpegna PDO has been crafted in Carpegna, a village in central Italy where the Emilia Romagna, Marche and Tuscany regions meet. Rooted in centuries of tradition, it is safeguarded by Europe’s strictest food standards, with every slice carrying the knowledge and craft of generations of proud master butchers.
The unique microclimate of rolling green hills, woodlands and the meeting of sea and mountain air shapes every step of the process, creating the perfect conditions for curing. The pigs themselves, a traditional breed known as Pesante Padano, or ‘heavy pig’, are raised exclusively in this territory, maintaining a link between land, animal and flavour that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
The meat is salted with Cervia sea salt, rubbed by hand with a guarded blend of spices in a step called stuccatura, and then left to cure for no less than fourteen months, often up to twenty. Even the unique temperature it’s cured at is a trade secret. Each stage is overseen by just ten master butchers, and no ham receives its PDO certification until it passes their final hand-testing.
The PDO mark (Protected Designation of Origin) guarantees authenticity. It ties Prosciutto di Carpegna not just to a method but to its environment, its animals and its traditions. The rules are also pretty strict: pigs must be at least ten months old, hams must weigh at least twelve kilos, and curing times cannot be shortened. These numbers are a safeguard for the integrity of a prosciutto that has been made the same way since the Middle Ages.
The result is a mouth-watering, tender and delicately sweet meat, with a flavour that carries the story of its land. It’s also free of preservatives and additives, giving Prosciutto di Carpegna a clean and pure taste. While Italians have cherished Carpegna PDO for generations, Australians now have the chance to experience it for the first time.
For the first time, Australians can experience this tradition first-hand. Prosciutto di Carpegna PDO is now available pre-sliced at Woolworths and selected grocers, as well as on the menus of leading restaurants.