Consumers in US could face cold-cut crisis as virus ravages pig farms in Italy
Prosciutto di Parma, with its light pink color and sliced paper-thin, is famous worldwide for its succulent flavors. It is made only in the Italian province of Parma. (David Silverman/Getty Images)
Consumers could soon be facing a culinary cataclysm: a cold-cut crisis.
Officials in Italy have slaughtered 90,000 pigs over the last two months as African swine fever sweeps over the European nation famed for its food culture, as well as an array of savory pork products that are popular across the United States.
Food industry insiders fear shortages of salami, mortadella and pancetta. The delicacies are found in almost every supermarket deli counter, sandwich shop and Italian restaurant in the U.S.
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"The spread of swine fever has reached alarming levels, putting at risk not just the health of the animals but of the entire pork sector," Ettore Prandini, president of business trade group Confindustria, wrote in a recent letter to Italy's minister of agriculture.
The possible deli-counter devastation comes amid soaring food costs, a strike that disrupted commerce at U.S. ports and a massive recall by meat-maker Boar's Head that forced it to end its liverwurst production.
But it's the overseas swine-fever assault on salty, savory, dry-cured prosciutto, an essential ingredient and flavor in Italian cuisine, that has chefs and restaurateurs sharpening their anxiety.
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"Prosciutto has that ‘nyum-nyum’ factor. It's got to have that ‘nyum-nyum’ factor," Vito La Fata, co-owner of Vito's Sicilian Pizzeria & Ristorante in St. Louis, Missouri, told Fox News Digital.
The deep, rich flavor and silky texture of prosciutto crosses the palate like soothing warm oil. It tantalizes the taste buds — La Fata's "nyum-nyum factor."
"It's the foundation of an Italian restaurant," he said.
Joe Isidori, chef-owner of Arthur & Sons, a popular red-sauce Italian restaurant in New York City, grew up in the third generation of a family of butchers and chefs.
Chef Joe Isidori of Arthur & Sons in New York City, center, fears swine fever in Italy could impact his menu in the U.S. At left, Ruliano prosciutto cures in Riano di Langhirano, Italy. At right, a woman savors prosciutto in Parma, Italy. (David
He puts prosciutto on a pedestal, too.
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"Prosciutto is in our veins. It's part of our DNA. I don't know if we could live without it," Isidori told Fox News Digital.
The threat to prosciutto has grown in recent weeks as swine fever swept down from its epicenter in the northern region of Lombardy and into neighboring Parma.
The province of Parma is celebrated worldwide for Italy's finest prosciutto.
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Isidori is already cooking up plans for a worst-case scenario, noting that two of the most popular dishes at Arthur & Sons feature the traditional Italian ham.
The stacked eggplant at Arthur & Sons pairs prosciutto with red peppers and buratta cheese. Smoked prosciutto enriches what Isidori calls "our world-famous" spicy rigatoni alla vodka.
"We'll have to figure it out," Isidori said, should Parma prosciutto grow scarce. "For our recipes, prosciutto is the king."
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La Fata of Vito's in St. Louis was raised in Sicily. But he's already equipped to survive and thrive during the Italian-born cold-cut crisis.
He buys American.
"We support a local company," La Fata said. "The prosciutto we use here, Volpi, is made here in St. Louis. It reminds me of the flavor we used to have back in Sicily. It's great prosciutto. It also has the great advantage that it happens to be local, too."
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Volpi prosciutto has "got that nyum-nyum factor, just like the gold standard Parma prosciutto," La Fata said.
Twelve countries, including China, Taiwan and Mexico, have banned the import of Italian pork delicacies, like prosciutto, because of swine fever in Italy, the AP reported. The U.S. is not among the 12.