Prosciutto crudo
Delicate raw-cured ham best added after baking, since sustained oven heat toughens its texture.
- Salt
- moderate
- Fat
- moderate
- Sweetness
- low
- Acidity
- low
- Heat
- none
- Moisture
- low
- Umami
- high
- Cooking requirement
- raw ready to eat
Preparation
Added after baking to preserve its delicate texture and flavour
Draped rather than distributed as small pieces, to keep its texture intact
Suitable to add after baking.
Cautions
- baking it for the full cook time toughens the texture; best added post-bake
History and cultural context
A dry-cured, unsmoked, whole-leg Italian ham with centuries-old regional production traditions, most famously Prosciutto di Parma and Prosciutto di San Daniele, both EU-protected Protected Designation of Origin products — distinct from cooked ham (prosciutto cotto) and from the smoked, fully cooked 'Canadian bacon'-style ham used on Hawaiian-style pizza internationally.
Traditional regions: Parma, Italy, San Daniele del Friuli, Italy
Typically added after baking (post-bake) internationally, to preserve its delicate texture and prevent it drying out or turning leathery under prolonged oven heat, rather than baked on the pizza from the start.
Also known as: Prosciutto di Parma, Prosciutto di San Daniele
Commonly repeated, and not supported
- That 'prosciutto' always means dry-cured raw ham — in Italian, prosciutto cotto (cooked ham) is a separate, equally common product, and English-language menus don't always distinguish the two.
- The Oxford Companion to Food — Oxford University Press
- Accademia Italiana della Cucina — regional Italian food documentation — Accademia Italiana della Cucina
Pairs well with
- Fresh arugula (rocket)
Explicitly noted as a good balance for Prosciutto crudo. Adds textural contrast against Prosciutto crudo. Best added fresh after baking, for brightness against Prosciutto crudo.
- Sweet corn kernels
Its sweetness balances Prosciutto crudo's savoury intensity. Adds textural contrast against Prosciutto crudo.
- Honey (post-bake drizzle)
Its sweetness balances Prosciutto crudo's savoury intensity. Best added fresh after baking, for brightness against Prosciutto crudo.
- Pineapple
Its sweetness balances Prosciutto crudo's savoury intensity.
- Fig
Its sweetness balances Prosciutto crudo's savoury intensity.
- Sliced banana
Its sweetness balances Prosciutto crudo's savoury intensity.
Styles using this topping
A common cured-meat filling addition alongside ricotta and mozzarella, adding a salty, savoury note to the sealed interior.