The Prosciutto of San Daniele
San Daniele’s prosciutto is a famous delicacy and pride of the area, known all over the world to food enthusiasts who appreciate its sweet and refined taste. Its delicate flavor and a perfect balance between tastyness and nutritional properties made it a perfect representative of Friulian hospitality and quality of life. Its fame grew much more than its manifacture, which gained great economical profit starting from the 1920s, with the birth of the first "prosciuttifici" (ham factories), environments that transformed the domestic cellar in which production took place into proper, autonomous business. San Daniele ham began to confront the market starting from the 1960s with the arrival of companies that would later become nationally famous starting from the 1980s. The pigs’ thighs, destined to become San Daniele ham, are obtained from the butchery of pigs born and raised exclusively in 10 regions of central-northern Italy, fed on a specific established diet. The production process is the traditional one: technology and modern systems are only used for the more mechanical production tasks.
The ancients had already learned that the low humidity, the good ventilation and the peticular climate allowed for better preservation of the meat. Thus they invented maturing, which is not simple conservation, but a way more complex process, based exclusively on the use of completely natural ingredients, with the only "artifice" being the initial treatment with salt.
The real secret is the microclimate of the Municipality of San Daniele, given by the meeting of the cool currents coming from the Alps with the moist and warm ones from the Adriatic. What also guarantees the maturation of these unique hams is the nature of the morainic soil, which supports a better ventilation thanks to its high spontaneous drainage.
Thanks to its inimitable characteristics, the Prosciutto of San Daniele has been protected by the Italian State since 1970, and in 1996 it got recognized by the European Union as a D.O.P. (Protected Designation of Origin) product.
The inimitable characteristics of its ham make San Daniele the destination of hundreds of thousands of people during the year, especially at the end of June, during the food festival “Aria di Festa”: an internationally important event that reminds the ancient medieval ham festival, transforming the roads and squares of the historic center into suggestive tasting places.
San Daniele’s Regina salmon trout
When Giuseppe Pighin, over thirty years ago, put the first few fishes in his pond, no one would have imagined that his trouts would become so famous.
At first it was just a hobby. It was the pleasure of staying outdoors, in contact with nature, in "his" river Tagliamento, of which he knew every secret since he was a little boy.
The fruit of his passion were lively, genuine trouts, with compact meats, much appreciated by those who were lucky enough to taste them.
Passion became a profession and the lake gradually turned into a fish farming production wich maintained the natural habitat of the trout: clay tanks, with plenty of running water, a healthy diet for the fishes and unforced growth times.
From here to the "creation" of the smoked trout Regina di San Daniele it was a short step.
The knowledge that people have less and less time to cook, combined with a mastered smoking treatment, gave birth to the Friultrota specialties, ready-to-eat dishes processed in an artisanal way: by hand.
In addition to the Regina cold smoked trout, another famous fish dish is the “Fil di Fumo”, hot smoked trout with a delicate flavor, as well as the trout caviar and many other culinary delicacies.
The Friultrota specialties, in addition to being without thorns, ready and easy to use, are characterized by being tasy and genuine, charachreristics which make them a light, highly digestible food with a very low calorie content.
From a nutritional point of view, the trout’s proteins have high biological value, and the presence of Omega 3 is very important against cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases.
The company’s philosophy is summed up by the following saying:
"A trout, to be good, must be a good trout".
This motto testifies the company's choice to pursue quality in all the aspects of production, and their goal of wanting to defend the typical taste and flavor of the fish.
You can visit the new company store located inside the new Friultrota facility along the road that connects San Daniele to Aonedis, in the ham factories area. You will find all the trout-based specialties but also many other fish products, obviously all processed according to tradition.
The new store, which aims to be a meeting point for lovers of good food, also hosts workshops and guided tastings.
