Parma Ham –Your choice for that perfect Apperitivo
Starters or Apperitivo, the way Italians call it. Are such an important part of our meals. It sets the tone for the main course by tingling your taste buds and igniting that willingness to enjoy the full course meal. We as consumers try out different starters often mixing and matching them from across the different cuisines to give our meals that perfect start. One such ingredient that has migrated from a traditional Italian apperitivo to be considered as a globally cherished starter is the Parma Ham.
Parma Ham is a specially cured meat that is produced in and around the hills of Parma from pigs that are reared in the local catchment area. There is a lot of speciality and Italian tradition that are captured in the entire process of producing the Parma Ham – from the diet of the pigs right till the way the meat is cured. This Parma Ham which is normally cured for about 18-24 months, truly brings in a lot of Italian tradition and great taste to your meal.
There are many different ways in which the Parma Ham can be enjoyed .It would excite any food lover to see as a starter a platter of finely sliced Parma Ham served with sliced buffalo mozzarella , garnished with some olives and drizzled with extra –virgin olive oil. Another very traditional Italian way of serving the Parma Ham is with slices of cold melon – your perfect recipe for a cold salad.
Slices of Parma Ham can also add a lot of taste to your green salad. Try adding some small slices ( or chunks- as per your preference) of Parma Ham to your green salad and you will be surprised to see the enrichment of taste in your salad. If you are big fan of sandwiches , Parma Ham can be your ideal filling . Add some Stracchino cheese to the base of your sandwich and add your slices of Parma Ham ( preferably slightly thicker for the sandwiches) and your sandwiches are ready to served as a starter. If you prefer to be traditional , add finely sliced pieces of fresh pears with Parma Ham in your sandwich and indulge yourself into this typical Italian delicacy. You can even wrap the Parma Ham around the grissini ( bread sticks) and serve them as antipasto or cocktail snacks.
Now if the different mouth-watering possibilities of enjoying the Parma Ham has got you all excited to try out a few of them , you need to find a dependable source of this traditional Italian product. Considering that the market is flooded with cheaper imitations , this can be rather tricky unless you are settled in and around Parma- the birth place of this Italian culinary jewel.
If you are located outside Italy , the best place for you to source Parma Ham are the online Italian delis. These niche online retail channels often offer the premium quality Parma Ham to their customers which they source right from Parma. But , it is advisable that you research a bit on the online deli’s website and on other online food blogs and forums to be assured of its credibility. The two key factors that you should primarily focus on are the sourcing credibility of your online deli and the dependability of its delivery schedule. Once that you have ensured these you are just a click away from enjoying the most awesome starters with Parma Ham !
If you are in London and looking for the best quality Parma Ham, delivered 6 times a week right to your doorstep, please visit www.nifeislife.com . This online Italian Deli offers more than 800 authentic Italian products that include the cheeses , ham , pasta , sauces just to name a few at prices that won’t make you think twice !