Prosciutto e melone

The great Italian summer antipasto: ice-cold cantaloupe draped with tissue-thin prosciutto crudo, sweet and salty in perfect and ancient balance

Origin: Italy

From the journey of Musk Melon.

Prosciutto e melone is one of the defining dishes of the Italian summer table. The pairing of sweet melon against salt-cured, aged ham is not obvious until you taste it; at which point it seems inevitable and ancient. The Cantalupo melon, grown near Rome, was cultivated at the papal estate of Cantalupo di Sabina and gave the cantaloupe its name. The combination became a Renaissance court dish and then a staple of the Italian summer table from Emilia-Romagna to Sicily. The best versions use Prosciutto di Parma (mild and sweet) or Prosciutto di San Daniele (more complex) against a Cantalupo or Charentais melon at peak ripeness.

Ingredients

Base

  • 1 medium ripe cantaloupe or Charentais melon (the most fragrant you can find)

Prosciutto

  • 120 g Prosciutto di Parma or San Daniele, sliced paper-thin

Dressing

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (highest quality)

Seasoning

  • 0.25 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked

Garnish

  • 1 small handful fresh basil or rocket (arugula)

Optional

  • 1 wedge lemon (optional, to squeeze)

Method

  1. Chill the melon thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. The melon should be genuinely cold.
  2. Halve the melon and remove the seeds. Cut into 8 wedges. Using a sharp knife, cut the flesh away from the rind or leave attached; both presentations are correct.
  3. Arrange the melon wedges on a platter or individual plates. Drape the prosciutto slices loosely over the melon in gentle folds; don't press it down flat. The delicate folds allow the ham to move and breathe.
  4. Drizzle very lightly with olive oil. Crack fresh black pepper over the top.
  5. Add basil leaves or rocket if using. A very light squeeze of lemon over the melon (not the ham) is an optional refinement.
  6. Serve immediately as a starter, with bread on the side to mop up the melon juice.

Notes

The quality of the two ingredients is everything. A mediocre melon and cheap prosciutto produces a forgettable dish; an extraordinary Charentais melon at peak ripeness with genuine Prosciutto di Parma is one of the greatest food experiences in Italian cuisine. The melon is ripe when it gives very slightly to pressure at the blossom end and has a visible perfume; you should smell it from across the room.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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