Today I attended the latest event hosted by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada – West. They are an organization set about bringing the awareness of Italian goods and services to Western Canada. As they put it, they want to bring “the good taste of Italy” to Canadian tables.
Today was a Masterclass in what they call the “Three Kings:” Prosciutto di San Daniele PDO, Prosciutto di Parma PDO, and Grana Padano PDO cheese. I figured I eat enough charcuterie that it is about time I know more of these products. And these is no better place to do so then at this class; hosted by JJ’s restaurant within VCC’s downtown Vancouver location, the culinary department. Here we would learn what they are, what goes into preparing each, and all the traditions associated.
First of all what does PDO? It stands for -Protected Denomination of Origin. It is a “geographical indication defined within European Union law in order to protect regional agricultural products and foodstuffs”. (As taken from the Collins dictionary definition).
Seeing the PDO stamp is a transparent guarantee of quality of European products, which includes our “Three Kings” today.
Every step of production is controlled with set guide lines, strict enforcement, and support for the producers.
This designation and process is not as simple as applying for it and paying a fee. The title requires tradition in its preparation, and the proof of its heritage. The certification process takes approximately 7 years to obtain. PDO(Canadian) or DOP(Italian).
Our Masterclass would begin with a presentation on the products with a tasting, followed by wine and a recipe where they are featured.
We would compare the two prosciuttos and learn how to tell them apart. All prosciutto is required to age a minimum of 400 days, the difference between the two is geographical, and how the area effects the curing process.
Prosciutto di San Daniele PDO is typically larger in size, as there is less evaporation at 18%. Whereas Prosciutto di Parma PDO evaporates 70% of its weight. But otherwise the product is simply hog and salt, and is 100% natural. Although air does play a large factor in flavouring.
The San Daniele area is cold and humid on a mountain top, whereas Parma is located in a valley where the air is heavy with the fragrant scent of sweet chestnut trees. So as the hog leg hangs on bone, it is exposed to and takes on quality of the air that surrounds it.
The easiest way to tell them apart is the moisture. Prosciutto di San Daniele PDO is very soft in flavour and texture. It is delicate and mild, and best enjoyed as is on a charcuterie board. And by default Prosciutto di Parma PDO is thicker and saltier by comparison. Both sound be sliced thin enough that if you lay it over a newspaper you can still read what is underneath.
Worth mentioning is that both Italian varieties are different than that of prosciutto made in Canada. Canadian prosciutto has nitrates, as Canada is strict in its food safe regulations. Whereas Italian prosciutto is considered a raw product when they enter Canada, due to the extended curing process, and therefore does not require any preservatives. It is just salt and hog.
Authentic Italian Prosciutto di San Daniele PDO and Prosciutto di Parma PDO is signified by tattoos and stamps, every step of the process is marked, retelling the autobiography of each leg. A 6 weeks the hog is tattooed, with the breeder embossing their codes into it. Metal tags are added on at the processing house, this speaks to who the producer is and where it was produced. If something is out of step it cannot be considered either of the two prosciutto.
After our workshop, we could taste the difference between the two Something I once glossed over, now seems so hard to miss.
We were also taught how to conduct a quality assurance test on bone in prosciutto. To this day, the old tradition of using needles carved out of horse bones are still being followed. They have done studies trying different needle materials like ivory and stainless steel, but horse bone is the only material that can hold scent and release it after 5 seconds.
With the needle you pierce your meat at an angle, then removing the blade for a sniff. If it smells like prosciutto everything is good to go. If you get any other scent there is an issue.
Next, we moved on to our Grana Padano PDO cheese. For the longest time I thought Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano were one in the same. The reality is they are prepared in a similar fashion, and the former can and will eventually take on the textural characteristics of the latter with time and age. But the intention of Parm is to be grated over pasta and for Padano to eats as is.
Grana Padano PDO cheese is meant to be a young cheese. Cured for a minimum of 9 months it is soft enough that you can punch through a wheel of it. The aging process starts as soon as salt is added. Due to its delicate nature at this stage (best described as shipping a 100lbs egg), importing it to Canada proves too challenging. Therefore, it isn’t until it has reach 12 months that it is transported over seas and available to Canadians.
It is eaten more often and more of it is produced. Made with cow’s milk from the morning, it is lower in fat content with higher nutrients and vitamins; especially calcium. Eating a chunk of it after a heavy meal that is not sitting right, helps to alleviate the discomfort and settle your stomach.
Our Masterclass would wrap up with some Syrah aged 24 months in a 500 litre barrel, from a vineyard known for their quality of wine.
Followed by a light salad, and one of the only way to feature all three ingredients together on a plate, where they are separate and you can taste them part. Our “Three Kings” all together in an assembly of arugula, cremini mushroom, figs, and BC hazelnuts. No salt or vinegar is needed because of the prosciutto. And the salad is simply dressed in a red wine vinegar dressing, and Italian olive oil.
If you are interested in learning more about the above mentioned Italian prosciutto and Grana Padano PDO cheese, our Masterclass chef will be at Bosa Foods, La Bottega di Mangia, and Cioffi’s Meat Market & Deli between July 4-12th, 2022 promoting and educating customers on these quality meats and cheeses from Italy. Call first for availability and follow the Italian Chamber of Commerce at @iccc_west on Instagram for upcoming demo dates and times.
BOSA
Thursday, July 7 > 9am to 5pm
Monday, July 11 > 9am to 11am – 3pm to 5pm
CIOFFI’S
Sunday, July 10 > 11am to 1pm
Monday, July 11 > 12pm to 2pm
Tuesday, July 12 > 12pm to 2pm
LA BOTTEGA DI MANGIA
Friday, July 8 > 10am to 12pm – 4pm to 6pm
Saturday, July 9 > 9am to 11am – 12pm to 2pm – 3pm to 5pm
Sunday, July 10 > 4pm to 6pm
Tuesday, July 12 > 4pm to 6pm
