Food and drink - Dalmatian Ham - Pršut

by Shane Braddock
(Split)

Easter has traditionally been a more important holiday for Croatians than Christmas. They enjoy organizing large family gatherings in their villages, to eat and drink in the sun of the first warm Spring days.

We went to visit my grandmother’s family in the small town of Raščane, in the Dalmatian hinterland.

Whilst there the discussion turn to pršut. Pršut is local name for cured ham – similar to prosciutto crudo from Italy.

Before refrigerators arrived in the hills, so that fresh meat could be eaten on Christmas Day, about a week prior, the pigs, that had been fatten-up the during the year, were slaughtered. The exact timing depended on the weather – the pigs couldn’t be killed when the warm, humid jugo was blowing – as the meat would rot quickly – but the villagers had to wait for the first bura, the cold, dry, Continental wind, to blow.

Today, this tradition continues. The meat for the Christmas feast is put aside and the rest is then cured. To cure it, the pork pieces are put in salt with large stones placed on top. The salt and the pressure push out any moisture. The curing process lasts up to 3 weeks.

Then, unlike prosciutto crudo, Dalmatian pršut is smoked afterwards in the rafters of small rooms. The smoke room of a village house, like that of my late grandmother, above, in abandoned Gornje Raščane, were attached to the side of the main building. They didn’t have chimneys, but the smoke from the fire would waft up through the rafters and stone shingles, smoking the meat as it went.

A small fire has to be lit every day for 4 months. Depending on which wood used, different flavors can be produced. The pršut can then be kept for 3 years, in a dry, cool space. During this time is will become coated with a nice green mold – don’t worry, this means all is ok.

Pršut is made from the shoulders of the pig – panceta is the cured belly and pečenica is the cured back. Sausages were also produced using the intestines – basically none of the animal was wasted.