Prosciutto di San Daniele

Prosciutto di San Daniele is a matured, dry-cured ham produced exclusively in the municipality of San Daniele del Friuli, Province of Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Its characteristic guitar-shaped exterior retains the distal foot, and the sole additive permitted in production is sea salt. Fresh legs must come from pigs born, reared, and slaughtered in one of ten specified Italian regions.

About this designation

Registered as a PDO on 21 June 1996 under file number PDO-IT-0065 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013032), Prosciutto di San Daniele is produced exclusively within the municipality of San Daniele del Friuli, Province of Udine, Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The specification permits no processing outside that single municipality. Fresh pig legs must originate from animals born, reared, and slaughtered in one of ten named Italian regions: Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Umbria, Tuscany, Marche, Abruzzi, and Lazio. The only additive permitted during production is sea salt. The mandated processing sequence comprises isolation, chilling, trimming, salting, pressing, pause, washing, drying, and maturing. The finished whole ham is guitar-shaped with the distal foot retained; when cut, lean areas are pink and red and fat areas are entirely white. Whole hams must weigh between 8 and 10 kg and never less than 7.5 kg. The product is identified by a mark established by law and branded on the skin. The applicant and authorised control body is the Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele, whose predecessor association was designated an approved inspection body on 3 November 1982. The product satisfies specific analytical requirements for moisture, salt, and protein content as set out in the Rules.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 21 June 1996 under file number PDO-IT-0065, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013032.
• Production is confined to the municipality of San Daniele del Friuli alone; the specification permits no other processing location.
• Sea salt is the sole additive permitted; the processing sequence includes a mandatory pressing stage.
• Whole hams must weigh between 8 and 10 kg and never less than 7.5 kg, and must retain the distal foot.

Tasting notes

Friulian dry-cured ham aged minimum 13 months in unique alpine-Adriatic microclimate; characteristic guitar shape with foot intact, deep ruby meat, sweeter and more aromatic than Parma, with delicate floral and dried-fruit notes.

HoReCa use

Sliced thin for premium antipasto; classically paired with melon, figs, or fresh ricotta; rolled around grissini.

Packaging

• whole-leg-bone-in-8-12kg
• whole-leg-boneless-vacuum-7-9kg
• half-leg-vacuum-4kg
• deli-sliced-vacuum-100g
• pre-sliced-tray-150g