Hand-cut process

The typical tasting of PDO Tuscan Ham begins with the cut: the best and traditional way to taste the aroma and aroma of the ham is to slice it by hand, in fact the cold blade of the knife allows you to leave all the flavors intact.

For the hand cutting of PDO Tuscan Ham, the cutter uses a long, thin knife, perfectly sharpened.

The hand cut preserves and enhances all the flavors and is one of the most important aspects for the ham to become an even more valuable product. Hand-cut DOP Tuscan Ham implies a ritual that enhances its flavor and the way it is presented gives the slices a choreographic aspect that increases their taste!

Before placing the ham on the vice it is necessary to remove the hook, the small flat bone positioned near the head of the femur which protrudes from the part not covered by the rind. With a knife you have to go around the bone, keeping the tip inwards and without going too deep, 2 cm is enough. Then the rind, the suet and / or the pepper are removed, being careful to discover only the parts that will be interested in the cut in order not to compromise the preservation of the flavors.
After eliminating unnecessary parts, the ham can be sliced. There is no single and universally valid knife cutting technique. The variables are many and depend on numerous factors such as the type of ham, the seasoning and the tradition.
For the DOP Tuscan Ham, the Italian cut is preferred, which includes thin, whole and long slices.

Slicing correctly means enhancing not only the aesthetic characteristics, but also the organoleptic ones, a slice that is too thin or too large would be a real crime of taste. Cutting ham is not a simple gastronomic practice, but a real art.

Slicer cut process

The only slicers capable of getting closer to hand cutting, for ham or cured meats, are the flywheel slicers, but the other types are also suitable but making sure that the blade does not get too hot.

As for slicing by hand, machine cutting also requires some precautions. If you had purchased a whole ham, or a boneless ham suitable for slicing or a slice, the rules will be the same as described above: remove the rind and the lard if present being careful not to overdo it, in order to preserve the taste of the Ham Tuscan PDO.

The essential element for a slice, whether it is cut by hand or with the feeder, is the quality of the Tuscan Ham DOP and the culture of those who prepare it.