Pope Francis Prefers Spanish Ham: A Culinary Endorsement from the Vatican

Much to the chagrin of Italian producers, for Pope Francis the best ham is Spanish. He is fond of it in a delicatessen in Prati, Rome, where dozens of hams are hung at the entrance, a beautiful letter from Pope Francis has been prominently displayed. 'Vatican, Holy See, July 7, 2023. Dear brother, thank you so much for the gift of the ham, very good. And thank you for the scroll. I pray for you and your family and ask that you do not forget to do so for me. May the Lord bless you, may the Madonna protect you. Strongly, Francis.' Stefano Paciotti, the owner of this family-run delicatessen that has existed since 1970, does not hide his satisfaction and emotion for the call received last summer. He could not believe it. On the other end of the phone was the Holy Father himself: who had just tasted the cooked ham, 100% Iberico. Paciotti, as a World Brand Ambassador of the Rosa company, a few years ago invented and developed at an industrial level, together with the company from Turin, this product: a 50% partnership between Italy and Spain. 'We had the raw material imported, pure breed Iberico pork thighs and in Turin, with Italian craftsmanship and knowledge, it was transformed into cooked ham,' he says. 'I presented it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the audience was the personal assistant of the Pope, who suggested that I let the Holy Father taste it. On July 7 he tasted it at lunch and after half an hour the phone in the delicatessen rang. It was him.'