Division 5.1 Specificity of the geographical area

The ‘Salame Felino’ PGI production area, which covers the whole Province of Parma, is marked by the presence of both hilly and flat areas, as well as lakes and salt mines.

The geographical area was defined by making reference to an in-depth historical reconstruction of the production practices that gave rise to the creation of this typical product. These practices are linked to the age-old traditions of pork butchery and curing which have been facilitated by the presence, since antiquity, of salt mines and distinctive climatic conditions resulting from the presence of specific levels of humidity, exposure to marine air currents and the concentration of large wooded areas.

In the Parma hills, it has always been possible to combine the techniques of the plain with the salt of Salsomaggiore.

The phrase ‘techniques of the plain’ means those methods for processing and curing pig meat that developed as far back as the Etruscan and Roman period owing to the presence of pig farms dedicated, among other things, to supplying food for the Roman legions. In the hills around the plain, these techniques were combined with the opportunity to make easier use of the salt from the Salsomaggiore mines as a result of the hills being the traditional focal point for processing the salt, which, being a precious substance, was processed in areas that were located far from communication routes and were thus more secure from possible raids.

Indeed, because of the presence of these salt mines, the salting and processing of pig meat has, since 1300, led to the manufacture of products that are recognised at both national and international level.