Prosciutto: Pronounced pruh-shoot-oh; Type of ham; Italian

These guys have become pretty popular round these parts. You’ll see prosciutto on pizzas, in pastas and served as an appetizer. It’s basically a dry Italian ham that they slice up reeeeeal real thin. It’s dry like… to the touch and to the taste haha. And kind of chewy, in my experience. I could take or leave prosciutto, but considering it’s $25/lb at Whole freaking Foods, I typically leave this meat product behind.

A popular combination is prosciutto with melon or fig to get a sweet and salty thing going on. I believe its delicate nature also aids in this pairing as a large hunk of Easter ham and a slice of cantaloupe isn’t quite as sophisticated a notion.

The two varieties pictured above are the most common, though Di Parma is your #1 US favorite prosciutto with San Danielle (slightly sweeter flavor) coming in a clear second. Anecdotal Gallup poll certified statistics.

Availability: They actually have this at Stop and Shop, but not at Big Y or Pricechopper, which I found interesting and now give more credit to Stop and Shop than I did before. As for other national chains, it’s a solid “maybe.” Butcher shops, why of course!

Recipe to try: Mini Prosciutto-wrapped Turkey Meatloaf from Three Many Cooks. Yet another application of prosciutto is wrapping other meats in it, like you would with bacon. This is a good way to try prosciutto in your meal without having to purchase very much of it.