San Daniele del Friuli
We have taken San Daniele ham from the Prolongo family for many years. Father Lucio, brother Alessio and sister Arianna run one of the oldest - and smallest - prosciutto ‘stagionatura’ in the center of San Daniele de Friule.
They have been family owned and run since their inception in 1948; Giovanni Prolongo started the business with his wife Caterina, and passed their knowledge and techniques down two generations and counting. Their name comes from the italian for prolong, which manifests in their careful and slow curing process.
Prolongo is a small family producer, producing just 6000 hams per year.
While larger, more industrial producers can churn out hundreds of thousands of hams each year, Prolongo takes a different approach. They value maintaining a consistent level of quality and using time-honoured traditional methods above all else.
They are also committed to promoting sustainability and animal welfare throughout their operations, collaborating closely with local farmers to ensure that the pigs are raised according to high ethical standards.
Prolongo are also particularly selective with their hams, rejecting all but the highest quality meat. The hams are coated with sea salt and, as is tradition, aged for the same number of days as they weigh in kilograms. The hams are then pressed by hand - another part of the process that other producers have made automatic.
Once salted, the hams go through the curing process - one of the most unique parts of the Prolongo’s process.
They are also committed to promoting sustainability and animal welfare throughout their operations, collaborating closely with local farmers to ensure that the pigs are raised according to high ethical standards.
Prolongo are also particularly selective with their hams, rejecting all but the highest quality meat.
The hams are coated with sea salt and, as is tradition, aged for the same number of days as they weigh in kilograms. The hams are then pressed by hand - another part of the process that other producers have made automatic.
