Prosciutto is a whole pork leg salt-cured and air-dried for a year or more until it slices into silky, sweet-salty sheets. America mostly imports it, but a handful of domestic makers now dry-cure legs that hold their own — led by the Iowa outfit that put American prosciutto on the map. (For salt-cured Southern country ham, see our country-ham shelf; this one's the Italian-style dry cure.)
Published July 2026 · Updated 7 Jul 2026
Herb and Kathy Eckhouse spent time in Parma, came home to Iowa, and in 2005 launched Prosciutto Americano — the product that showed US-made prosciutto could be world-class. They cure legs from carefully sourced Midwestern pork, including Berkshire and Iberico Americano. Shelf-stable, ships nationwide, free over $75.
Why it isn't on AmazonThis is the benchmark American prosciutto — a maker who trained in Parma and built it from scratch in Iowa, not a domestic knockoff.
See it at La Quercia →The award-winning Denver salumi shop dry-cures prosciutto alongside its grand-champion coppa and salami. Small-batch, whole-muscle work aged on site. Shelf-stable, ships nationwide.
Why it isn't on AmazonA salumeria with this much hardware curing prosciutto brings the same standard to the leg as to its award-winning coppa — a serious domestic cure.
See it at Il Porcellino Salumi →A Central Coast family salumi company that cures grass-fed pork into prosciutto with no nitrates or artificial preservatives. Made in small batches in Atascadero and sold direct. Shelf-stable, order online.
Why it isn't on AmazonA no-nitrate, grass-fed prosciutto from a family shop is a cleaner cure than most, and a rare domestic alternative to the big import brands.
See it at Alle-Pia →This seat's open on purpose — we won't pad the list to hit a number. If you ship real prosciutto & dry-cured ham direct, it's earned, not sold.
Add your brand →Prosciutto (specifically prosciutto crudo) is a whole hind leg of pork that's been salted and air-dried, uncooked, for anywhere from about nine months to two years or more. The long cure concentrates the flavor and firms the meat so it can be sliced into thin, silky sheets. The famous Italian versions are Prosciutto di Parma and San Daniele, but good prosciutto is now made in the US too.
Both are dry-cured whole legs, but the style differs. Italian-style prosciutto is cured mainly with salt, aged long, and eaten raw in thin slices — sweet and delicate. American country ham (think Virginia or Tennessee) is more heavily salted, often smoked, and usually cooked or served in small salty portions. This shelf is the prosciutto-style dry cure; our country-ham shelf covers the Southern kind.
Yes, it's meant to be eaten as-is, uncooked — the curing and long drying make it safe and are the whole point. Slice it thin and serve at room temperature. Cooking it (in a sauce, wrapped around something roasted) is fine too and adds a salty, savory depth, but for a board or a plate with melon, raw and thin is the way it's designed to be eaten.
Slice it as thin as you possibly can — prosciutto should be nearly translucent, which is why it's usually machine-sliced. Freshly sliced, it's best eaten within a day or two; keep it refrigerated between sheets of parchment so it doesn't stick or dry out. A whole or vacuum-sealed piece keeps much longer. Always bring it to room temperature before serving so the fat softens and the aroma comes through.
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