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?

意大利制作火腿的历史可以追溯到几千年前的罗马时期。意大利人颇为他们的火腿工艺而骄傲，而帕玛火腿更是高品质火腿的代表。那么，意大利火腿的味道到底是怎样的？又是怎么个吃法？

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区的人们做喜爱的厨艺之一就是用盐胭脂且风干的生火腿。在意大利流传一句这样的俗语，不喜欢吃火腿的人不是意大利人。火腿出现在普通家庭的饭桌上，也能在意大利国宴上找到。

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.

生火腿如何个吃法呢？它可以用在沙拉中，在新鲜的甜味水果片表面附上一片薄薄的生火腿，特别是和哈密瓜配在一起，绝对美味。火腿是咸的，而哈密瓜是甜的，配在一起听起来会有点奇快。其实不然，哈密瓜的甜味可以中和火腿里的咸味。这样搭配以来就是一道美味的开胃菜，而且世界有名哟。火腿还可以煮，意大利北部的人们习惯用火腿做饺子馅。中部的人们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。盐能防止肉变成灰色，看上去不鲜艳，防止脂肪变质，抑制细菌生成。之后，把火腿挂起来风干。首先放在暖和的温度中，直到肉中的水汽全部蒸发掉，然后放进低温度中。因温度的高低和火腿的大小不同，风干的时间短为半年，长到一年，甚至更长。

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.

意大利颇为他们的火腿工艺而骄傲。下次去意大利餐厅时，点一份火腿哈密瓜开胃菜。坐下来放松些，你会惊奇地发现意大利火腿果然名不虚传。