Division 5.2 Specificity of the product

‘Prosciutto di Parma’ is a raw ham that has been aged for a period of at least 12 months; the only ingredients permitted are pork and salt. The finished product has a rounded external shape and the distal part (the foot) has been removed, with a maximum of 6 cm of meat standing proud of the head of the femur. The aged product normally weighs 8-10 kg, but never less than 7 kg; the colour when cut is uniform pink to red, interspersed with pure white where fat is present; the meat has a delicate, sweet flavour, is not very salty and has a fragrant and characteristic aroma. In analyses, the product satisfies precise criteria relating to water content (between 59 % and 63,5 %), salt (between 4,2 % and 6,2 %) and protein breakdown (between 24 and 31 %).