SG2 Burja – Prosciutto Knife 300mm (11.8″)

Burja [pronounced as ‘booryah’] is a prosciutto knife. Burja is a knife of our own creation – we love good knives, we love good prosciutto, and good prosciutto should be sliced by hand using the sharpest knife around.

Burja is the first Japanese-made prosciutto knife. Designed by SharpEdge, forged by Japanese smithy Suncraft, based in the famous blacksmith town of Seki, made of Japanese steel and optimized for cutting prosciutto. No one has ever paid so much attention to making a knife that will meet all the needs of cutting prosciutto. It is especially difficult to make a universal knife since there are a lot of different types of prosciutto, as well as there are many cutting techniques to slice it. But no worries – Burja is not just a knife for cutting prosciutto. Because of its harder, but still 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 knife is a combination of the rich culinary tradition of prosciutto ham with the Japanese tradition of forging knives. Since Japanese blacksmiths are the best blacksmiths in the world, possessing centuries of knowledge and experience of forging steel, it made perfect sense to make our prosciutto knife in Japan. From idea to design, after many conversations with knife makers, trial&errors, finding the right steel and handles, many sliced (and eaten) prosciuttos, visits to Japan, the process finally ended after a good two years.

The SG2 Burja has three big differences that differentiate it from Burja: the steel, the looks, and the handle. Blade geometry and shape and other specifications remain (almost) the same.

BLADE SHAPE:
The shape of Burja is unique, although at first sight resembles other prosciutto knives. It has an extremely thin spine of the blade at 1.8mm. The blade is 300mm (11.8″) long and finishes with a thin, pointy tip, revealing its origins and traditions of blacksmiths that were once forging katanas.

It has an optimal ratio between the hardness of the steel and the flexibility of the blade, which helps the cutting of even slices of prosciutto that is tougher (drier) on one side and more delicate on the other. It is suitable for all kinds of ham and also for preparing thin slices of sashimi.

Recommended for: Jamón Ibérico, Jamón ibérico de bellota, Prosciutto di San Daniele, Jambon de Bayonne, and similar.

BLADE FLEXIBILITY:
Flexibility is necessary to some extent. We have opted for somewhat less rigid flexibility with Burja since this makes it more versatile and suitable for many different types of prosciutto, and at the same time excels when cutting other large pieces of dried meats and other proteins.

STEEL:
This Burja is made of SG2/R2 powder steel hardened to around 62-63 HRC, which means it will stay sharp for a very, very long time. The composition and microstructure of the steel provide extremely fine and smooth sharpness.

HANDLE:
The handle attached to the SG2 Burja is universal and easy to maintain. A beautiful, dark brown, octagonal-shaped pakka wood handle sits well in your hands regardless if you are left- or right-handed. Pakka wood is a mixture of laminated wood and epoxy resin which is highly durable and will not get stained easily.

LAMINATION:
Only one layer of steel is used for the knife to be flexible. When deciding on the steels we wanted to make a knife from, we weigh the characteristics such as hardness, sharpness, ease of maintenance, graininess and ease of sharpening. The biggest challenge was to make the blade flexible enough while keeping the hardness at 62-63 HRC.

GEOMETRY:
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. Zero grind edge helps the knife to glide smoothly when making longer cuts.

BLADE FINISH:
The blade features a clean, highly polished (also called migaki) blade.

ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH:
Suncraft is a family company spanning four generations and specializing in the production of kitchen tools. The smithy was founded in 1948 and is located in a thriving manufacturing area of Seki in Gifu prefecture, where steelwork dates back to the times of the Samurai warriors.