Parma Ham (or Prosciutto di Parma PDO, to give it its full name) is arguably Italy’s most famous cured meat. Famously made using only pork, salt, air and time with no additives, nitrates or nitrites, the 100% natural ham is usually served thinly sliced and does not need to be cooked before eating. While it is delicious simply eaten on its own, our collection of Parma Ham recipes shows you how this incredible product can be served in all sorts of dishes.

Parma Ham is a popular choice for antipasti – try Valeria Necchio’s Crostini with rocket, buffalo stracciatella, Parma Ham and pine nuts or Luca Marchiori’s Parma Ham parcels with asparagus and peas for some simple yet impressive little snacks. The flavour of the ham goes particularly well with other northern Italian ingredients, too – make this Mesclun salad with Parma Ham, strawberries, balsamic and Parmesan to see what we mean. Try blending Parma Ham into a mousse for these fun Savoury cannoli, or crisp it up in a delightfully indulgent toasted sandwich with Helen Graves’ Mozzarella in carrozza.

When buying Parma Ham always look for the Ducal Crown symbol on the packaging, which guarantees it’s come from a proper, PDO-protected leg of Parma Ham. To get this firebrand seal of approval, it must be cured for at least a year, although some can be cured for up to three years. It also can only be made from pigs reared in ten Italian regions, produced using traditional and strictly controlled methods that hark back to Roman times.