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Italy has the history of making prosciutto for more than 2,000 years, and the prosciutto of Parma is among the world's top-quality products and protected by European Union Law. So what does it taste like? Is it really that delicious? How to eat it?
意大利制作火腿的歷史可以追溯到幾千年前的羅馬時期。意大利人頗為他們的火腿工藝而驕傲，而帕瑪火腿更是高品質火腿的代表。那么，意大利火腿的味道到底是怎樣的？又是怎么個吃法？
One of the favorite treats of northern and central Italian cuisine is prosciutto, a raw, salt-cured, dried ham. There's a saying in Italy which goes that a person who doesn't like raw prosciutto is not an Italian. Prosciutto can be found in ordinary people's plate as well as on the table of an Italian state banquet.
意大利北部和中部地區的人們最喜愛的廚藝之一就是用鹽腌制且風干的生火腿。在意大利流傳一句這樣的俗語，不喜歡吃火腿的人不是意大利人。火腿出現在普通家庭的飯桌上，也能在意大利國宴上找到。
How to eat raw prosciutto? It can be used in salads. Try wrapping a slice of prosciutto around a slice of sweet fresh fruit -- with soft cantaloupes it's amazing. It may sound a little bit strange, since prosciutto is salty and the cantaloupe is sweet. But the sweetness of fresh fruit will balance the saltiness of prosciutto. It's a famous appetizer around the world, and it's very tasty. Prosciutto can be cooked. In Northern Italy, people use prosciutto as dumpling fillings, and in Central Italy it's boiled with vegetables.
生火腿如何個吃法呢？它可以用在沙拉中，在新鮮的甜味水果片表面附上一片薄薄的生火腿，特別是和哈密瓜配在一起，絕對美味。火腿是咸的，而哈密瓜是甜的，配在一起聽起來會有點奇快。其實不然，哈密瓜的甜味可以中和火腿里的咸味。這樣搭配以來就是一道美味的開胃菜，而且世界有名喲。火腿還可以煮，意大利北部的人們習慣用火腿做餃子餡。中部的人們用它和蔬菜放在一起煮。
How to make raw prosciutto? Italian prosciutto is made by first cleaning and salting a ham. The salt prevents the meat from turning an unattractive gray color as it ages, slows the fat from spoiling and inhibits bacteria from forming. Afterwards, Italian prosciutto is hung to air dry, first at warm temperatures until moisture in the meat evaporates, and then in cooler temperatures. The length of drying depends upon the climate and size of the ham, which can take from six months to a year or more.
如何制作生火腿呢？首先是清洗，腌制。鹽能防止肉變成灰色，看上去不鮮艷，防止脂肪變質，抑制細菌生成。之后，把火腿掛起來風干。首先放在暖和的溫度中，直到肉中的水汽全部蒸發掉，然后放進低溫度中。因溫度的高低和火腿的大小不同，風干的時間短為半年，長到一年，甚至更長。
Italian people are really proud of century-old prosciutto production. Next time when you have dinner in an Italian restaurant, order yourself prosciutto with cantaloupe to start the meal. Sit back and relax. You will be delightfully surprised, since all the compliments are true.
意大利頗為他們的火腿工藝而驕傲。下次去意大利餐廳時，點一份火腿哈密瓜開胃菜。坐下來放松些，你會驚奇地發現意大利火腿果然名不虛傳。
