Ham

History

The ham was for a long time mets royal or reserved on the special occasions. Very estimated under the Roman Empire, it was reproduced on the tables of the emperors. With the Middle Ages, where one was large consumer of pig, the ham was associated with the festivals of the Holy Week.

Regional tradition of the world

Many areas of Europe and world, have their own traditions to prepare ham. In France, the the Ardennes, the Ardeche, the Corsica (the prisuttu in particular that of Castigniccia), the Lozere (plate of the Aubrac), the Auvergne, the Béarn, the the Jura, the Savoy, the the Vendée, produce hams among most famous with ham of Paris.

In Spain, the serrano (of “sierra”, mountain), resulting from Iberian pig (presented with the foot and let us onglons them: pata will negra ) nourished with the Gland S (the bellotas ), in Italy the ham of Parma (the pigs all obligatorily produced in the north of Italy, receive Lactosérum of Parmesan) and of San Daniele in the Friuli, in Great Britain, the ham of York and in Germany, the ham of Westphalia and Black Forest…

The weight of hams spreads out from 6 to 7 kg for the serranos, 9,5 kg minimum for the San Daniele and 10 to 12 kg for Parma for pigs weighing 150 to 160 kg sharp minimum and 3 cm thickness of Lard, the culatello is even produced with pigs weighing more than 200 kg…

Manufacture

The added quantities of salt (Salting) as well as the time of salting are variable and depend on the local traditions.

Drying will bring the key final and characteristic of quality of believed ham: minimum ten eights to twenty-four months for the serrano, fourteen months minimum but often much more, for ham of Parma.

The ham of Paris is a boned ham and cooks of form. The ham of higher quality is produced starting from not frozen fresh thighs, without addition of Polyphosphate S

There also exists of many kinds of smoked hams , such as the Jambon of the Black Forest, for example (believed ham whose tradition of manuring is typical of this area).

Origin

Contrary to the generally accepted ideas the Ham, known as of Bayonne, is not originating in Bayonne (Basque Country) but in the Béarn (Pau). Manufactured starting from pigs of the valleys of Ossau and Winder, this ham historically was salted with Dirty-with-Béarn then exported since the port of Bayonne worms of other French areas or abroad, via the Adour (" from where the Bayonne ham name ". Today, the essence of Bayonne ham is manufactured in the Béarn. The pig, and in particular the black pig, were introduced into the Basque Country only in the years 1960 to face an agricultural serious attack.

Some hams AOC

Bayonne ham, Ham of Luxeuil, Boiled ham, Ham of the Black Forest, Ham of Aoste…

Currently, no ham obtained a AOC in France. There exist three requests in progress for hams of pigs of race Basque, Corsica and Gascon

External bond

Spanish hams: the ham serrano and the Iberian ham
Some councils to choose a good Ham Spanish, in Spanish, French, English and Italian

Nds-nl: Schinke Simple: Ham

Random links: