Dining at an Italian restaurant gives you a chance to taste a long list of delicious dishes, but it's important to remember that for each tasty dish, a number of ingredients are helping to make it that way. One such ingredient is prosciutto — a cured type of ham that you can enjoy both raw and cooked. At Italian restaurants, prosciutto is often a fixture on the menu, which gives you plenty of opportunities to try this salty and thinly sliced meat in a variety of ways. Here are some different ways that you can sample prosciutto during your next restaurant visit.

Pizza

You might think of a number of meat products as suitable pizza toppings before you think of prosciutto. And, while your local Italian restaurant likely has pepperoni, salami, meatballs, chicken, sausage, and more as pizza toppings, don't be surprised to see prosciutto as an option, too. If you're looking for a pizza that is on the lighter side, this cured meat might appeal to you. Because of its thinness, it crisps up much like thin bacon, which can give you a slice that doesn't feel as filling as one that has traditional meat toppings.

Salad

Vegetables might be the first things that come to mind when you picture a salad at an Italian eatery, and you can be sure that any salad you order will come brimming with veggies. But, you may also find that some salads will also contain meats such as prosciutto. It may appear raw and mixed in with the salad, or it may be cut into strips, fried, and placed and a crispy topper. Whatever the case, the addition of a protein — especially if the salad includes other proteins such as cheese and nuts — will make it more hearty.

Pasta

Pasta is another type of dish at your local Italian restaurant that may contain prosciutto. There are a variety of applications that you may encounter. One dish could be as simple as pasta in a cream sauce with this cured meat mixed in. Or, you might even find ravioli that is stuffed with prosciutto and other ingredients, such as spinach, and then mixed with a cream or red sauce. Often, the prosciutto will be the main protein in pasta dishes, but you may sometimes find it combined with seafood — for example, a pasta sauce that includes clams and prosciutto. Whatever the case, you'll have plenty of opportunities to experience this cured meat.

For more information, you will want to contact a company such as Tony & Joe's Pizzeria.