Booking choice: The three-ham tasting, from $25 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Prosciutto simply means ham in Italian. Prosciutto di Parma and Prosciutto di San Daniele are the two best-known protected (PDO) hams, and both are made from Italian pork legs and sea salt only. The differences lie in the place, the shape and the tradition.
Below: Parma against San Daniele, then against culatello and culatta, which come from the same leg, and against prosciutto cotto, plus where to taste them side by side.
The quick answer
Both are PDO hams made from Italian pork legs and sea salt, with no additives. San Daniele comes from the town of San Daniele del Friuli, keeps its trotter and is pressed into a guitar shape; Parma comes from the hills south of Parma, is trimmed round without the trotter and carries the ducal crown. Culatello and culatta are cut from the same leg in the Parma area; prosciutto cotto is cooked ham.
What is the difference between Parma ham and San Daniele?
Where they are made and how they look. Both are salt-only PDO hams; San Daniele is made in Friuli and keeps the trotter, while Parma is made in the hills south of Parma and is trimmed round.
Here are the hams you are most likely to meet in and around Parma, side by side.
| Ham | Where it is made | What it is | How it is made |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prosciutto di Parma | Hills of the province of Parma, around Langhirano | Whole leg on the bone, trimmed round, no trotter | Sea salt only; at least 14 months; ducal crown |
| Prosciutto di San Daniele | San Daniele del Friuli, province of Udine | Whole leg with the trotter, in a guitar shape | Sea salt only; pressed after salting |
| Culatello di Zibello | Seven towns in the Po lowlands north-west of Parma | The boneless heart of the thigh, in a natural casing | Salt, pepper, garlic, often dry white wine; at least 10 months |
| Culatta | Provinces of Parma and Piacenza | The rear muscle of the thigh, rind kept on one side | Salted and larded like prosciutto, not encased |
| Prosciutto cotto | All over Italy | Cooked ham | Cooked, not cured |
Where is San Daniele ham made?
Only in the municipality of San Daniele del Friuli, in the province of Udine, in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Prosciutto di Parma is made only in the hills of the province of Parma.
The Parma production area runs across the hills at least 5 km south of the Via Emilia, up to 900 metres, with Langhirano at its heart; about 127 producers work there. San Daniele is a single hill town in the far north-east. Both credit their air: the Apennine breeze for Parma, the town's own microclimate for San Daniele.
Why does San Daniele keep the trotter?
It is part of its tradition and its look: after salting, San Daniele legs are pressed for 24 to 48 hours into their guitar shape, trotter on. Parma legs are trimmed to a rounded shape without it.
So on a deli wall, the trotter is the quickest clue. The surest one for Parma is the five-pointed crown burned into the rind; for pre-sliced packs, see how to spot it in the buying guide.
Taste three hams from one pork leg in a curing room, with bread, focaccia and a glass of wine, for $25.
Check dates for the three-ham tastingWhich tastes better, Parma or San Daniele?
Neither, officially. Both are sweet, delicate, salt-only hams, and the producer and the age matter as much as the name.
- Compare like with like: taste hams of a similar age side by side.
- Plain first: taste each slice on its own before bread or melon.
- Watch the salt: the Consorzio says Parma's salt master uses only the minimum needed, for a sweet, mild ham.
- Ask the age: a 24-month ham tastes deeper than a young one, whatever its name.
How is Parma ham different from culatello?
Culatello di Zibello is the boneless heart of the thigh, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and often white wine, tied in a natural casing and aged in the damp Po lowlands. Prosciutto di Parma is the whole leg on the bone, salt only, cured in the dry hills.
Culatello is made in seven towns along the Po, about 40 km north-west of Parma, and only tens of thousands of pieces are branded each year, against millions of Parma hams. A leg that becomes culatello can no longer become prosciutto: the trimmings of the same thigh become fiocco. The whole story is on our sister site, culatello.parma.it.
One pork leg, three famous hams: prosciutto, culatello and culatta tasted side by side in a curing room. Make your own way to Sanguinaro.
Explore the three-ham tastingWhat is culatta?
The rear muscle of the pork thigh, cured with its rind on one side and larded on the other, not stuffed in a casing like culatello. It is also called culatello con cotenna and is made in the provinces of Parma and Piacenza.
It is aged for many months in cellars and sliced thin like its cousins. You taste it at the three-ham tasting and, with fiocco, on the private cheese and prosciutto tour ($185, rated 5.0 from 89 reviews).
Is prosciutto cotto the same as Parma ham?
No. Prosciutto cotto is cooked ham. Prosciutto di Parma is a prosciutto crudo: raw ham cured with salt, air and time, never cooked.
In an Italian deli, ask for crudo di Parma to get the cured ham and cotto for cooked ham. Only crudo carries the crown. Both appear on menus as just prosciutto, so check which one you are ordering.
Taste Prosciutto di Parma and Culatello di Zibello on one board in the city, with a private guide, rated 5.0.
Check dates for the private food and drink walkWhere can you taste them side by side?
At the three-ham tasting at La Fattoria di Parma in Sanguinaro, on the Via Emilia west of Parma, for $25; or on the private food walk in Parma, whose board includes Prosciutto di Parma and Culatello di Zibello.
The three-ham tasting ($25, 1 hour) is new, with only a handful of reviews so far, and you need your own transport. The private food and drink walk ($129, 3 hours) stays in the centre but shows no production. To see how the ham itself is made, go to a maker: the factory tour guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is San Daniele ham the same as Parma ham?
No. Both are salt-only PDO hams, but San Daniele comes from Friuli and keeps the trotter, while Parma comes from the Parma hills and is trimmed round.
Do Parma and San Daniele hams contain nitrates?
No. Both are made with Italian pork legs and sea salt only.
Are culatello and prosciutto from the same leg?
Yes. Culatello is the boneless heart of the thigh, so a leg made into culatello cannot also become prosciutto.
Is prosciutto cotto Parma ham?
No. Prosciutto cotto is cooked ham; Prosciutto di Parma is a raw, salt-cured ham.
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Choose your day
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Prosciutto, Culatello and Culatta Tasting
- Visit of a traditional curing room
- Comparative tasting of Prosciutto di Parma, Culatello and Culatta
- Bread, focaccia and a glass of wine
Parma Private Food and Drink Walking Tour
Taste it in Parma's delis, no van
Parmigiano and Prosciutto Private Tasting Tour
Your own guide at a dairy and a ham plant
