Prosciutto

Prosciutto is an Italian dry-cured ham, uncooked and unsmoked, usually served thinly sliced; the most prestigious styles are Prosciutto di Parma from Emilia-Romagna and Prosciutto di San Daniele from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, both holding protected designation of origin status, and Switzerland's southern regions also keep their own prosciutto tradition. In Italian the word covers any ham, cured (prosciutto crudo) or cooked (prosciutto cotto), but in English it usually means the Italian-style dry-cured product specifically; because prosciutto is not itself a legally protected term, cooked ham can legally be sold under the name. The word derives either from the Italian asciutto, meaning dry, or from the Vulgar Latin pro plus exsuctus, referring to the extraction of moisture.