CUT TO BLACK

Perched on high stools at the bar of Rome’s famed Ristorante Salumeria Roscioli, we sip our chianti with anticipation. While we wait for our order to arrive, staff carry past enticing plates of homemade buffalo mozzarella and bowls of La Matriciana O Amatriciana (pasta tossed with tomato sauce, crispy pig cheek and Pecorino Romano cheese), Pesce Sparda (carpaccio of smoked swordfish), and Le Polpette della Tradizione Romana (meatballs with tomato sauce, smoked ricotta and chestnut polenta). Each of these dishes earns a moment of silence from diners as it is served, admired, and then broken into with fork or spoon. A look of contentment, and then it’s back to conversation in that lively, lilting manner that is so quintessentially Italiano.

While the plates being served around us look inviting, our sights are set on something quite particular. Roscioli is known not only for its closetoperfect pastas but also for its standout selection of cured meats, or salumi. We’re here for a very specific kind: the highly prized prosciutto made from Italy’s black pigs.

While Spain’s jamon iberico gets all the glory, Italy, too, has exquisite hams made from its own native breeds of black pig. Long loved by the food cognoscenti within Italy, these hams are finally earning a wider appreciation.

Italians have always taken their salumi seriously. Almost every meal eaten out, be it lunch or dinner, will start with a platter of air-dried cold cuts. As diners around the world increasingly focus on local, seasonal produce and elevate culinary tradition over mass-produced food, interest in artisanal products is booming. Italy’s black pig hams are becoming a sought-after delicacy.

While Spain’s world-famous jamon comes from black pigs native to the Iberian peninsula of Spain and Portugal, Italy’s varieties of black pig prosciutto (ham made from the hind leg that is air-dried for many months) come from a number of different breeds across the country, but particularly in Parma, Italy’s ham-happy heartland.

Exactly how many breeds of black pig there are in Italy is unknown, but a growing number of farmers and chefs are working to protect and revive their own local living repositories of culinary tradition.

“The black pig is a part of our Italian heritage, like many other things in Italy, such as a mediaeval church or a painting,” says chef, farmer, restaurateur and Italy’s top salumi producer, Massimo Spigaroli.

“The black pig was the ‘family pig’, rustic and strong, and able to feed itself in the forest. Black pigs were substituted in the 1960s by the new more productive breeds of white pig from Britain and the Netherlands, which are more adapted for industrial use as they grow faster and have more off spring. They also have less fat but more pink meat, especially on their huge hind legs.” Chef Spigaroli is raising Nera di Parma pigs, the only breed of black pig native to the Parma region, on his historic farm estate. His Antica Corte Pallavicina estate is by Po River. The estate also has a 14th-century castle that the Spigaroli brothers

Sample a variety of ham at Salumeria Roscioli, near Campo de’ Fiori.

Massimo Spigaroli is among a growing group of chefs and restaurateurs who support local culinary traditions such as black pig farming.

have turned into a six-room boutique hotel. Here is also where they age Parmesan cheese, make wine, and grow vegetables for their two restaurants on the estate: the traditional osteria, Al Cavallino Bianco, and the contemporary fine-dining restaurant, Antica Corte.

Spigaroli’s Nera di Parma pigs live mostly free range, hunting out acorns and wild grass in the woods. They also feed on house-produced cereals and beans. The pigs are slaughtered when they are more than two years old and are known for their red marbled meat.

Spigaroli says the region’s climate is ideal for salumi production, whether from white pigs or black. “The hills of Langhirano are protected by mountains, and the region’s nearness to the Tyrrhenian sea makes the air ideal for ageing the meat.” But production is not limited to this area of Italy.

At Il Sorpasso, a chic restaurant in Rome’s Prati neighbourhood just a 10-minute walk from St Peter’s Square, the selection of black pig prosciutto varies according to the producer’s availability and the season, but regularly features Suino Nero dei Nebrodi from Sicily, Bazzone from Garfagnana in Tuscany made from the local greyhaired pig, Cinta Senese from Tuscany, and Mora Romagnola from Emilia-Romagna.

“Interest in black pig prosciutto has been rapidly growing over the last few years, so we keep up to date with the latest developments,” says the manager at Il Sorpasso. “The method of production makes all the difference – as it does with all hams – and we always turn to small producers. Small distribution involves small quantities and better quality; in general, you get more serious and healthier products.”

Black pig prosciutto differs according to species of pig and how they are reared, and the ageing process – all of which may be controlled by DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta), Italy’s seal of quality for regional heritage products.

Prosciutto is aged for different periods, but as a general guide, smaller prosciutto from 7kg to 9kg are cured for around 24 months, while 12kg to 15kg hams may be aged for 36 to 40 months.

The longer the ageing, the more intense the flavour and drier the texture, and so the more prized and pricey. Per kilo, black pig prosciutto costs 50 to 80 euros (S$76 to S$121).

While it can be used in cooking, eating it simply, on its own, is perhaps the finest way to enjoy it, according to Biancamaria di Fede, manager of Roscioli. The restaurant and salumeria is located just a short walk from Campo de’ Fiori, a glorious outdoor fresh produce market that is also a must-visit for any foodie visiting Rome.

“The best way to enjoy a fine prosciutto is as a cold cut with a very nice glass of wine,” says di Fede. “For black pig prosciutto, opt for red wine, medium-bodied, or a very dry white.”

Saluti