Prosciutto is an Italian word coined to refer to ham. But now prosciutto is a ham that is a little more sweet and salty than regular hams. But can you eat prosciutto raw? We will answer that question in this article.
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Is It Safe To Eat Prosciutto Raw?
When you buy prosciutto, it is basically uncooked. There is, however, a significant difference between other raw meat and cured meats such as prosciutto. During the curing process, prosciutto has undergone numerous significant changes. The flavor and physical features of the pork alter as a result of the curing process. So, you can safely eat prosciutto without cooking them.
Furthermore, prosciutto is a delicate cut of a pig that should not be overdone or cooked at high temperatures. We propose mild grilling if you like to add a little smokey flavor to it. Before grilling, slice the prosciutto into small chip-like pieces.
How Are They Prepared?
Prosciutto is a ham that has been cured a little extra. They are much more sweet and salty than regular hams. Curing or marinating is the process of killing parasites and microorganisms present in the meat. You can also cure a piece of meat at home to enhance its flavor. Since prosciutto is cured meat, they are safe to be eaten without cooking them.
To cure meat, you have to marinate it first. This fine slice of pork meat is soaked in a mixture of salt and water for up to 12 hours. In some parts of Southeast Asia, people use turmeric along with salt and water to kill the bacteria and parasites present in it. But this is not enough to eliminate all unwanted lifeforms inside the meat.
So, the next step involves smoking. Smoking is the process by which a marinated piece of meat is exposed to smoke produced by the burning of hardwood or fruitwood. However, one shouldn’t keep the meat right on top of the fire. This will cook the meat, which shouldn’t be done with prosciutto.
Expose the meat to the smoke for 12 to 24 hours which will not only kill unwanted microbes in the meat but also adds a delicious smokey flavor to it. It is safe to eat prosciutto uncooked, but if you still want to be on the safer side, you call grill it once again or deep fry them, depending upon your wish.
How To Know Whether Proscitto Is Spoiled Or Not?
Curing and smoking ham will increase its shelf life. But not even prosciutto is honey which will not get spoiled for thousands of years. Prosciutto definitely has a shelf life and can get spoiled. You shouldn’t eat spoiled prosciutto no matter how good it might appear.
The first thing you should check before cooking or eating prosciutto is checking its manufacturing and expiry date. If the meat is past its expiry date, discard it immediately regardless of how good them might look. If they are past their expiry date, there is a high chance of the presence of bacteria and microorganisms present in it. So, it is a wise choice to throw them out.
The next thing you can use to identify whether prosciutto is spoiled or not is by checking its smell. If you smell a pungent decay odor coming from the meat, there is a high chance that it is spoiled. You should discard them too. When a bacteria or microorganism attack a piece of meat, the meat starts to develop a pungent smell which indicates that they are no longer safe to be eaten.
If the meat has passed these two tests, it should also pass this final test before being cooked and eaten. Use your fingers and press the meat. Then take your fingers and press them against each other and see whether it is sticky or not. If it is sticky, it is also an indication that meat has spoiled. You can either discard the whole meat to be on the safer side or can cut the part where it is sticky, throw it out and use the rest of it after properly cooking them.
