Their leaves should still retain a slight crispness, while their flavor should suggest a hint of pleasant bitterness and deliver a subtle aftertaste similar to an aged, sharp cheese.
Next arrived the famous Culatello di Zibello or regional Parma ham aged for one year along the Po River -- an area whose winter fogs and humid summers make the air unlike any other in the world, plus the local Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, aged 30 months.