The tradition of this product has its roots in ancient Rome. Even then, the city of Parma, located in the heart of Gallia, was known for the ability of its people in producing raw ham. Many authors, from Catone to Oratio, to Plauto and Polibio, apoint the Parma ham and the producing method, that has remained essentially unchanged since then. Not only : food mentions of Parma ham find place in the book De Cocina in the second half of 14th century, but even between the rhymes of Tassoni and dietary advice of bolognese doctor Pisanelli.
The production method, entirely handicraft, has gradually evolved through a process of industrialization maintaining intact its traditional peculiarities.
To protect quality, the manufacturers themselves, in 1963, founded the Consorzio of Prosciutto of Parma, has the duty to watch on processing and selecting the raw hams.
In 1966 the most famous italian raw ham gained from the European Community the recognition of protected designation of origin (DOP).