A great starter is among many uses for Parma ham, writes Hugo Arnold
Cured hams are made the world over. Some of the best I've tasted come from the charming city of Parma. The curing is part art, part science. The local pigs' diet benefits from the region's other great speciality, Parmesan - not that they eat the cheese, just the leftover whey. Their hind thighs make the hams. These are chilled to harden the meat and then pressed, cleaned and stripped of excess fat. The next stage, the salting, draws out the sweetness in the meat and stops it spoiling. As to what to do with this amazing food, there are lots of ideas for wrapping it around other meats, and using it to line mousses and terrines. To my mind it is never bettered than when sliced rice-paper thin and served with bread and olive oil.