Ah, prosciutto - that lovely, pink hued, paper-thin sliced meat that has delighted Italy’s residents for at least 3,000 years. Perhaps not as romanticized as wine or olive oil (anyone for a cozy picnic in a pig pen or butcher shop?), but possibly revered even more, there’s no question that prosciutto makes a daily appearance on tables throughout Italy.  

Believed to have taken its name from the Latin word proexsuctus, meaning literally to suck out the moisture, the formula for creating prosciutto sounds quite simple: take a ham hock, add salt, wait. But alas, nothing is ever as simple as it seems!