Prosciutto di Parma - The King of Hams Introduction Dry-cured ham is a traditional food product which is well known all over the world. Do you know that prosciutto is a type of dry-cured ham? Prosciutto can taste sweet or spicy by adding different kinds of seasoning powders such as red chillies and black pepper. However, different countries and areas have their own styles. The most famous prosciutto is known as Parma Ham from Parma, Italy. Parma is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna and the word 'prosciutto' is the Italian word for ham. Since 1970, the designation of origin has been legally protected and no other air-dried ham may use the name of ‘Prosciutto di Parma’. Source, structure and composition of Prosciutto Fresh hind legs of pigs are the raw material in producing prosciutto. There are few main muscular areas in the ham as shown in Figure 1. A different muscular area has a different rate of biochemical changes. Biceps femoris is a