Can You Eat Prosciutto Raw?

If you’ve ever had a cheese and meat board, you’ve probably had a piece of prosciutto.

The majority of people love it, but some are questioning how safe it is. Is it safe to eat raw prosciutto from this point of view?

Yes. Prosciutto is a dry-cured ham that comes from the hind legs of a pig. 

It’s a delicious snack when sliced thinly and eaten raw. When cooked, it becomes a tasty addition to many dishes.

This article is going to answer your questions, and any other curiosities you may have.

Is Prosciutto Raw?

When you purchase Prosciutto, it is essentially raw. There is a big difference between raw fresh meat and meats like prosciutto.

During the curing process, several key changes have been made to Prosciutto. The pork’s flavor and physical characteristics are affected by curing.

Prosciutto is one of the most delicate types of pork that should never be exposed to high-temperature cooking.

Mild grilling is what we recommend if you want to cook it with a bit of smokey flavor. Before grilling, it’s best to slice the prosciutto into chips.

Adding ham to slices of bread is an additional method of eating this ham. The result would probably be the most delicious meat sandwich on the planet.

Add some slices to the pasta of your choice while you’re at it. This meat is bursting with flavor and will add dimensions of texture and taste to the pasta.

If you want to get the full Italian experience, you should consume slices of prosciutto with a few slices of cheese and some wine.

You will not regret eating a snack of this quality. Is there anything you can expect from prosciutto?

After curing, the ham has a salty taste with hints of sweetness.

The flavors will always be predictable because the aging of the pork is always controlled. Prosciutto is also a good food to have in your mouth.

Is Prosciutto Actually Dry-Cured?

There is a lump of Italian dry-cured meat called Prosciutto.

It starts fresh and raw, but the drying and curing process takes care of two important elements: moisture and trichinae.

The surface of the meat has a positive effect on the development of bacteria inside.

Bacteria can’t develop quickly if there isn’t a viable way for them to grow. Many omnivorous mammals have a parasite called trichinae.

The curing salts and seasonings come into play when pigs are included. The threat of trichinae is removed by the addition of salts and seasonings.

Prosciutto is ready to eat straight out of the package, because of the whole curing process.

If you still feel uneasy about eating uncooked prosciutto, you can always fry it a little in a skillet, like you would with bacon.

You should know that this is a lump of dried meat sliced very thinly.

This means that your fried slices will be very easy to cook and will burn very quickly since there is no humidity at all.

Can You Eat Prosciutto Raw?

Yes, you can! This delicious food was born thousands of years ago when pigs were raised for their meat.

Prosciutto is made from young pork and aged for more than 18 months to develop its flavor and enhance its succulence.

You can buy prosciutto and its sister product, pancetta, at any grocery store.

Does Prosciutto need to be kept in the fridge?

If you don’t want to eat all of it in one sitting, you should always keep it in the fridge. I’m mostly talking about the pre-packaged slices of prosciutto.

If you keep it wrapped in plastic, it can smell very strongly, and this will cause other foods in the fridge to be contaminated.

If you are going to buy the whole leg of pork, you can keep it in a cool pantry and lightly wrapped in butcher paper.

Depending on how much you carve from it daily, the leg will provide you with food for weeks or months.

Keep in mind that this meat is very strong tasting, and you will tire of it easily if you get too much of it.

If you have a big event where you can serve most of it, you should only buy a leg.

Conclusion

Prosciutto is a wonderful treat that goes well with a lot of things, including sweet, spicy, cheese, and so on.

It’s more of a snack between meals and we like it with a couple of rose grapes and a cheese.

It is possible to wrap asparagus spears with some prosciutto and grill them for a few minutes.

Hopefully, you got the answers you were looking for and are okay with eating this wonderful Italian cured ham, whether you get the raw dry-aged, and cured version or the cooked version.