Parma Ham Hand-Carving Competition

The “ham hand-carving competition” is returning to Langhirano. Producers of Parma Ham, armed with vice and knife, will compete in carving by hand; the winner is the person who gets close to 250 g in the quickest possible time. The competition will take place on Sunday 6 September 2009, beginning at 5 pm, in the area in front of the Town Hall. The event is part of the activities for the 12th Parma Ham Festival.

RULES FOR THE “OSCAR FOR AN ARTHOUSE PARMA HAM” – HAM HAND-CARVING COMPETITION

Art. 1 – Entry in the competition is open to Parma Ham-producing firms, provided that they are taking part in the Finestre Aperte (“Open Windows”) programme.
Art. 2 – The competition will involve hand-carving 250 g of Parma Ham. The maximum time allowed is fixed at 10 minutes.
Art. 3 – The Parma Hams for slicing must be directly supplied by the participating firms and must have been cured for at least 18 and at most 24 months.
Art. 4 – Competitors must appear equipped with vice, knife and protection.
Art. 5 – The competition will take place through one-on-one direct-elimination matches and the winner from each match will be the person who arrives closest, whether above or below, to the established weight. In the case of a tie there will be a playoff.
Art. 6 – The Jury, whose task it is to award the prizes, will be made up of the Mayor of the Municipality of Langhirano, the President of the Parma Ham Consortium and a special guest.
Art. 7 – The participants, on signing up for the event, accept the Jury’s decision, which is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Art. 8 – The winner of the final will be awarded the title of “Master Carver of Parma Ham”. The title of “Precision Slicer” will also be awarded to the competitor who was closest overall to the established weight. Finally, a prize will be awarded to the competitor who produced the “most beautiful dish”, that is, the one that distinguished itself for the perfection of the slicing and elegance of the composition.