Burja Knife // Prosciutto Knife

Made of Japanese steel and optimized for cutting prosciutto, the Burja Knife is forged by Japanese smithery Suncraft, based in the famous blacksmith town of Seki. Because of its hard yet flexible blade, it can be used for cutting other dry meats as well. And due to its thin and long blade profile, it will perform well as a slicer for larger pieces of meat and fish.

Burja is a Slovenian name of the local wind typical for the Adriatic region. It is a cold, dry, strong, and gusty northeast wind without which no prosciutto would ever be produced, no matter where in the world it is dried. With all the characteristics, Burja was the perfect name for this prosciutto knife. Three engraved symbols can be seen on the left side of the blade— called wind barbs— which indicate wind direction and wind speed.

The Burja knife is made of Japanese Aichi steel 1K6M VM which will take care of the long edge retention and will be easy to sharpen. The slightly concave secondary grind helps the knife to glide smoothly when making longer cuts. For the same purpose, the hammer's imprints— Tsuchime— were left on the top part of the blade. This keeps the air in the dents, which helps the knife sliding smoothly through prosciutto. The blade finishes with a thin, pointy tip, revealing its origins and traditions of blacksmiths that were once forging katanas.

The profile of the blade is not completely straight. The slight curvature of the sharp edge reduces the point of contact, which greatly eases the cutting. Flexibility is necessary to some extent, but the Burja opts for somewhat more rigid flexibility to make it more versatile and suitable for many different types of prosciutto. It also excels at cutting other large pieces of dried meats and other proteins.

Burja was fitted a black handle made of pakka wood with a decorative red ring and a stainless bolster for a comfortable grip. Pakka wood is laminated wood, consisting of 70% wood and 30% resin, which makes the handle extremely durable and resistant to humidity, plus it is easy to maintain.