Classroom lesson · Food · 🇲🇪 Montenegro

Njeguški Pršut

Air-cured mountain ham from the village of Njeguši

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

Njeguški pršut is a special cured ham made in the mountain village of Njeguši on the slopes of Lovćen. The ham is salted, smoked gently over beech wood, and then left to dry in the mountain air for many months. The result is a deep, dark red meat with an intensely rich flavour that is unlike any other ham in the world. It is considered one of Montenegro's most treasured foods.

Tell me more

The secret to Njeguški pršut is the location of the village where it is made. Njeguši sits at a height of about 860 metres on Lovćen mountain, where cold clean air from the mountains meets warm breezes coming up from the Adriatic coast below. This special combination of mountain cold and sea air creates the perfect conditions for drying and curing the ham slowly over many months.

Making pršut is a long process that requires great skill. First the fresh pork leg is rubbed with sea salt and left to absorb it for several weeks. Then it is cold-smoked over beech and other woods, which adds flavour and helps preserve it. Finally it is hung in the open air for at least six months — sometimes much longer — until it is ready to eat.

Njeguški pršut is always served cut into very thin, almost see-through slices. It is a traditional starter at Montenegrin celebrations and family gatherings, served on a wooden board alongside kajmak cream cheese, local olives and sheep's cheese. No important meal in Montenegro begins without a plate of pršut.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

01Pršut is preserved by salt, smoke and air drying — no refrigerator needed. Why did people invent these methods before fridges existed?
02The unique flavour of Njeguški pršut comes from its specific mountain location. Can you think of other foods that are special because of where they come from?
03Curing pršut takes at least six months. Why might slow food sometimes taste better than fast food?

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Classroom activity

Investigate food preservation methods. Make a chart with four columns: Salt, Smoke, Drying, and Cold. Research one food preserved by each method and draw or write it in the correct column. Present your chart to the class.

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