A piece of Italy to take away

How long does Parma ham mature and how is Parma ham made?

For many years, in addition to our own products, we have also included products from the Bedogni company in our range. This includes, of course, the award-winning Parma ham . But also other sausage delicacies, such as homemade sausage and ham specialties . As a butcher's shop, we only offer products that we stand behind and that we can check ourselves on site. We are always interested in: quality, hygiene and production. Transparency is very important to us, which is why we visit the Bedogni company in Italy and take a close look at how it all works. We also have a video about this on our YouTube channel .
The Bedogni company is based in Parma, Italy and has been a long-term partner of ours. We get our 30-month-matured Parma ham and other sausage delicacies from them, such as salami and ham specialties . Fresh from production: Dirk Freyberger keeps an eye out for new sausage delicacies and the Bedogni company shows us which other products they have on offer. Dirk also checks the quality of the sausage here, directly on site, and inspects the craftsmanship.The Bedogni company carefully selects its hams . They only process the best pieces, which is why the company sends back up to a quarter of all delivered legs. The preparation for the artisanal salting also takes place here. The machines use heavy rollers to press the blood out of the ham and apply a layer of salt. Our supplier has a special feature: after the mechanical salting, they apply another layer of salt by hand and at the same time they manually press out the last remaining blood from the main artery along the ham . Normally, this is done by professionally trained salters, but here you can see Dirk Freyberger getting a hand in too. The reason for this is that the ham has to be properly preserved so that it doesn't spoil and also guarantees an outstanding taste. After the salting process, the employees hang the hams up. A machine hangs them on special trolleys to save space and prepares the fine pieces for cooling. It also pushes the hams along a rail to the cooling room. On the way to the cold chamber, the salt is added manually because some salt is lost due to the short transport route. When the hams are cooled, a so-called burning-in and burning-out process takes place. This process cools the hams down quickly and strongly. They remain cooled for 12 hours before the system heats them up again. This process is repeated and lasts 5 days. This causes the Parma ham to contract and then relax again. The purpose of this is that the ham draws salt inwards through the constant expansion and contraction, thereby losing water. After these 5 days, further intermediate salting takes place.The hams are then stored in various cold rooms. The burning and burning out process is repeated and lasts for 4 months. No further salting takes place. During these 4 months, the ham prepares for maturing and changes cold rooms. The newest pieces are always stored in the front part of the hall, while the older hams go to the back.After cooling, the Bedogni company removes the lock bone from the ham and prepares the piece for washing. The meat is cleaned in a washing machine. A machine cleans the hams exclusively with 40°C water jets. No cleaning agents or similar substances are included.As soon as the hams have been cleaned, they are maturated. This lasts for at least 18 months at the Bedogni company. However, we sell the premium version with a maturation period of 30 months. The Parma ham is maturated naturally. The meat is constantly checked by hand and the staff pays close attention to the level of humidity during the ripening process. This means that Bedogni can guarantee that its Parma ham is always of top quality. After ripening, butchers cut the hams by hand and prepare them for shipping. They remove bones and tie the meat into a special shape. Dirk Freyberger is also allowed to try his hand at it and prepares a ham for shipping. Of course, Bedogni tastes its range. They are constantly trying out new product lines and tinkering with the next sausage and meat products . The company checks the taste, tests the seasoning, assesses the ripening time and uses the findings for further innovations. We are of course also invited and are of course allowed to try the Parma ham and other products. You can find the entire journey on our YouTube channel .