ham

Technically, ham is the thigh and buttock of any animal that is slaughtered for meat, but the term is usually restricted to a cut of pork, the haunch of a pig or boar. Although it can be cooked and served fresh, most ham is cured in some fashion.

Ham can either be dry-cured or wet-cured. A dry-cured ham has been rubbed in a mixture containing salt and a variety of other ingredients (most usually some proportion of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite), Sugar is common in many dry cures in the United States. This is followed by a period of drying and aging. Dry-cured hams may require a period of rehydration prior to consumption. A wet-cured ham has been cured with a brine, either by immersion or injection. The division between wet and dry cure is not always hard-and-fast as some ham curing methods begin wet but are followed by dry aging.

The majority of common wet-cured ham available in U.S. supermarkets is of the "city ham" variety, in which brine is injected into the meat for a very rapid curing suitable for mass market. Traditional wet curing requires immersing the ham in a brine for an extended period, often followed by light smoking. Traditional wet cured ham includes the English Wiltshire ham and the French Jambon de Paris.

Dry-cured varieties include the Italian prosciutto crudo (notably the prosciutto di Parma) and the Spanish Jamon serrano (notably the Cured Ham of Trevélez) and jamón ibérico (notably the Cured iberic Ham of Guijuelo). The United States has country ham (including Virginia ham), which might or might not be smoked. England has the York ham. Germany's Westphalian ham is usually smoked over juniper, in Belgium, there is the smoked Ardennes ham, and from China there is the unsmoked Jinhua ham.

Ham is also processed into other meat products such as Spam luncheon meat. Baked ham is also a traditional dish served on Easter.

National regulation of ham production

Each country that produces ham has its own regulations.

France

Bayonne Ham or Jambon de Bayonne [1] is an air dried salted ham that takes it's name from the ancient port city of Bayonne in the far South West of France (La Pays Basque or the Basque country). The origins of the process used are lost in the mist of time, there are medieval church carvings depicting hams as far back as the 11th century and evidence of its use in Roman times. It is certain that it evolved as a way of preserving pork, a meat which was in good supply at certain times of the year in the region. The area concerned is the basin of the river Adour and this geographical limitation is now enshrined in the regulations for the production of Bayonne Ham. The meat itself does not have to come from the Adour basin but has to be produced from one of eight clearly defined breeds of pig reared in an area from Deux Sevres in the north to Aveyron and the Aude in the east. The locals (and who is to argue with them) will tell you that the best comes from the traditional Basque pig breed. The regulations are very strict and cover, the zone of origin of the pork, the regime for feeding the animals (no steroids, no fish oils, no anti-biotics), each animal must be clearly and uniquely identifiable with a tattoo. Transport, slaughter, size and weight of the original meat cut, minimum fat cover, lanolic acid content, and the post slaughter storage temperature for the meat are all specified. The ham produced within these criteria is given the European Union PGI status Protected Designation of Origin and as such is called Bayonne Ham. Enforcement of these regulations and the granting of the right to use the name Bayonne ham is the responsiblity of Le Consortium de Jambon du Bayonne based in Pau the capital of department 64 south west France.

The drying method used in modern times mimics that used in the past. Instead of the seasons each storage chamber has temperature and humidity controls set to match seasonal variations. Originally the pigs were slaughtered in late October early November. The hams were then rubbed in salt produced in the salt pans of the Adour estuary or from those near Bearn. The temperature conditions at this time of year, 6 to 8 °C, are ideal for the initial preserving process and the hams were left hanging in the drying room until the end of January early February. In the next part of the process 'pannage' a mixture of pork fat and flour is used to seal the cut end of the joint. This reduces the speed in which the meat dries out during the warmer months of March April May. At some point during this time many of the producers will also rub a paste of Piment d'Espelette into the skin giving a unique tang to the end product. The final drying stage is completed by the end of July and the ham is ready. Modern techniques by using individual drying chambers with temperature and humidity controls simply reproduce the seasonal temperatures and the changing humidity conditions produced each year by the 'foehn' (southerly wind) and the Atlantic ocean. The size of ham used is normally within the range of 8 to 9 kg including bone.

Once the ham has completed its curing process it is marked with the traditional "Croix Basque or Lauburu also known as the Basque Cross" topped with the name Bayonne. The ham is a minimum of 7 months old with most being of 9 or 10 months before it is offered for sale and will keep for up to another year if kept in a cool (8 °C) dry atmosphere. The result is a slightly sweet, delicately flavoured moist meat with very little salt to the taste, which if cut thinly, is almost translucent.

Italy

Earliest evidence of ham production in Italy comes from the Republican Roman period (400-300 BCE). Modern Italian and European Union legislation grants a protected designation of origin to several hams, which specify where and how these types of ham can be produced. There are several such hams from Italy, each one with a peculiar production process. Parma ham, the so called Prosciutto di Parma, has almost 200 producers concentrated in the eastern part of Parma Province. Its production is regulated by a quality consortium that recognizes qualifying products with distinctive mark. Only larger fresh hams are used (12-13 kilograms). Curing uses relatively little salt, producing a sweeter meat. After salting the meat is sealed with pig fat over the exposed muscle tissue, which slows drying. Curing occurs over a minimum 12 months. This curing method uses only salt, without nitrates and without spices. No conserving substances added. San Daniele ham (Prosciutto di San Daniele) is the most similar to Parma ham, especially the low quantity of salt added to the meat, and is the most prized ham. Other raw hams include the so called "nostrani" or "nazionali" or "toscani", they are more strongly flavored and are produced using a higher quantity of salt. Italy also has widespread production of more pedestrian cooked hams.

Spain

One of the more exacting ham regulatory practices can be found in Spain. Not only are hams classified according to preparation, but the pre-slaughter diet and region of preparation are considered important. Spanish regulators recognize three types of ham hogs.

• Cellar hogs are fed only commercial feed.
• Recebo hogs are raised on commercial feed and fed acorns for the last few months of its life.
• Bellota hogs are fed a diet almost exclusively of acorns (bellotas).

The regional appellations of Spanish ham (Jamón serrano) include the following:

• Pedroches with Protected denomination of Origin, from Andalusia. Iberic Ham 100% acorn (bellota).
• Huelva, a full-flavored ham produced in Cadiz, Córdoba, Huelva, Málaga, Seville, and Badajoz.
• Guijuelo, from Gredos and Béjar, Castile, León, Extremadura, and Andalusia.
• Extremadura Dehesa, made in Cáceres and Badajoz exclusively of bellota hogs. This is a "white" ham.
• Cured ham of Trevélez, cured at least 1200 meters above sea level. Cured hams from Trevélez are qualified to be among the “sweetest” cured hams due to the low degree of salting necessary for the drying and maturing processes to succeed properly. Mostly this is caused by the north winds coming from the high tips of Sierra Nevada.
• Teruel, cured at least 800 meters above sea level, with a minimum of a year of curing and aging.

USA

In the United States, ham is regulated primarily on the basis of its cure and water content. US law (specifically the USDA) recognizes the following categories:

Fresh ham is an uncured hind leg of pork. Country Ham is uncooked, cured, dried, smoked-or-unsmoked, made from a single piece of meat from the hind leg of a hog or from a single piece of meat from a pork shoulder. Smithfield ham, a country ham, must be made in or around Smithfield, Virginia to be sold as such.

For most other purposes, under US law, a "ham" is a cured hind leg of pork that is at least 20.5% protein (not counting fat portions) and contains no added water. However "ham" can be legally applied to such things as "turkey ham" if the meat is taken from the thigh of the animal. If the ham has less than 20.5% but is at least 18.5% protein, it can be called "ham with natural juices". A ham that is at least 17.0% protein and up to 10% added solution can be called "ham—water added". Finally, "ham and water product" refers to a cured hind leg of pork product that contains any amount of added water, although the label must indicate the percent added ingredients. If a ham has been cut into pieces and molded, it must be labeled "sectioned and formed" or "chunked and formed".

In addition to the main categories, some processing choices can affect legal labeling. A "smoked" ham must have been smoked by hanging over burning wood chips in a smokehouse, and a "hickory-smoked" ham must have been smoked over hickory. Injecting "smoke flavor" is not legal grounds for claiming the ham was "smoked". Hams can only be labeled "honey-cured" if honey was at least 50% of the sweetener used and has a discernable effect on flavor. So-called "lean" and "extra lean" hams must adhere to maximum levels of fat and cholesterol per 100 grams of product.

One of the most popular and expensive hams in the United States is Smithfield or Virginia ham. Through a special curing process Smithfield ham ages. In that time a fungal coat forms over the outside of the ham while the rest of the meat continues to age. This process produces a distinctive flavor, but of course, the fungal layer must be scrubbed off of the ham before being cooked or served.

Religious prohibitions

Ham is not permitted for consumption by either the Jain, Jewish or Muslim faiths.

External links

• [2] United States Department of Agriculture: Focus on Ham