Presunto

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Traditional ham of Chaves, Portugal

Presunto (European Portuguese: [pɾɨˈzũtu], Brazilian Portuguese: [pɾeˈzũtu]) is the name given to dry-cured ham from Portugal, similar to Spanish jamón or Italian prosciutto crudo.

Among the wide variety of presuntos in Portugal, the most famous are presunto from Chaves, produced in the north of Portugal, and that from the Alentejo, in the south, made from local Alentejano pigs.

A wet-cured, light pink ham called fiambre ([ˈfjɐ̃bɾɨ] or [fiˈɐ̃bɾi]) is more common in everyday meals. In Brazil, nevertheless, hams in general are called presuntos altogether (except by people used to the Portuguese terminology, usually in areas with heavy Portuguese immigration such as Rio de Janeiro and Florianópolis), and this is the name used in the market for common hams. Brazilians generally eat dry-cured hams in or near Christian festivities (practice also adopted for roasted entire aves such as turkey, and cod), and it is commercially called tender ([ˈtẽdeʁ]), although the common populace usually call it presunto as well.

Two varieties of presunto are protected by European law with geographical indications.

• Presunto de Barrancos has PDO status.
• Presunto de Barroso has PGI status.

Popular

In certain slangs, such as youth lower class carioca and paulistano, presunto in Brazilian Portuguese is used to mean a corpse not yet buried or cremated, a cadaver, especially of someone who has recently died or been killed.

Etymology

The word is from Vulgar Latin persunctus, and is unrelated to identical words in Italian and Spanish (see wikt:presunto).

See also

Food portal

• Jamón ibérico
• Prosciutto

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Presunto de Chaves

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