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Upper West Side: Fat or No Fat? Fairway Regulates Prosciutto BuyersAt Fairway, they take their prosciutto seriously. So seriously, in fact, that if you dare to ask them to trim the fat–horrors!!–from this Italian delicacy, they’ll refuse to sell it to you. Read more in this Westside Independent story. And take their poll to see how you stack up against your fellow Upper West Siders on the Great Prosciutto Debate of 2009. By Virginia Tangel The charcuterie on display at Fairway is nothing short of mouth-watering for the carnivore. But don’t you dare try to ask the deli-men to cut the fat off the luscious white-ribboned prosciutto di Parma or prosciutto di San Daniele. It simply isn’t allowed. If you must trim the fat off your ham, please do so in the comfort of your own home, and do it furtively. A sign at the deli counter warns customers: “Please do not ask your counterman to trim [the ribbon of fat on the meat] away. He has been trained not to, if it bothers you trim it away at home, but know that you are throwing away prosciutto’s flavor, not to mention committing a cardinal gastronomic faux pas.”
Photo: Avi Salzman.
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The reason for keeping the fat, explains Fairway Manager Ed Burke, dates back to days before refrigeration, when the prosciutto di Parma (literal English translation: ham of Parma) was protected from spoiling by layers upon layers of fat and salt. Now, despite miracles of refrigeration, the fat and salt are kept. “The ribbon of fat imparts an enormous amount of flavor to the meat,” says Burke.
