Ham
The proof lies in the eating
There are a few golden rules pertaining to the enjoyment of air-dried hams. First of all the ham should be sliced paper-thin to release the maximum aroma. Ham is a room temperature product and is best stored in a cool, dry place. Only if it is absolutely necessary should the ham be refrigerated and then enough time should be left for acclimatisation before it is served. Exposure to the air can dry it out and more importantly, dissipates the special aromas, so the ham should be sliced just before serving.
Two of the most superb starters ever created are Pros-ciutto di Parma con melone and Prosciutto di Parma con fichi. Wafer-thin slices of Parma ham are served with the summer-sweetness of melon or freshly picked figs. A Spanish culinary tradition, the rehogado con jamón imparts a wonderful flavour to vegetables such as artichokes, green beans and Brussels sprouts. Diced Serrano ham is lightly fried in olive oil, before cooked vegetables are sauteéd in the mixture.
Bearing gifts
The inhabitants of the Adour basin claim that the French revolution dethroned the king but not the ham! In June 1793, four years after the French revolution started, a delegation from the town of Pau went to Paris to hand a 'patriotic collection' to the Paris municipality. In their hamper were 362 hams, 185 shoulders of pork, 119 pieces of bacon and 24 goose legs. This went down so well with Fleuriot, Mayor of Paris, that he asked the delegation to stay in Paris until the celebration of the 20th day of the month of Prairial (on the revolutionary calendar), and put his private box at the opera at their disposal.
With Christmas bonus time coming up, it might be a good idea to arrange a 'patriotic collection' for the boss. A rosy Parma ham will set you back about R240 per kilogram. An Ardenne ham is slightly cheaper at R169 per kilogram. Real Black Forest ham and Serrano have been largely unavailable in South Africa for more than a year because of trade restrictions relating to foot-and-mouth disease. A Bayonne at R260 per kilogram might even inspire your boss to organise a private box at Newlands or Ellis Park in addition to offering you some financial 'Christmas cheer'!
Putting meat on the bone
The Italian, Spanish and German pigs give new meaning to the phrase 'you are what you eat'. The little Parma pigs grow up drinking the whey that is drained from the curds of the Parmigiano Reggiano, the famous Parmesan cheese made in the same region as the Parma ham. Many ascribe the sweet taste of Parma ham to the Parma pigs' copious consumption of dairy. The Spanish hogs thrive on a diet of bellotas (acorns), which gives their meat a distinctive flavour. According to an age-old Black Forest tradition, the German pigs eat a mixture of cereals, cooked potatoes and green feed, and are allowed to wander the pasture to relax, a practice which positively influences meat quality.
The art of curing
There are three main steps involved in dry-curing ham - salting, maturation and air-drying.
Salting is the fundamental first step in the dry-curing of ham. Parma, Bayonne, Serrano, Ardennes and Black Forest hams are all covered with salt in order to draw off excess moisture and to preserve the meat from spoiling. In the case of Jambon de Bayonne the salt comes from the estuary of the Adour. Black Forest ham is salted with a mixture of table salt, pickling salt and a generous quantity of spices such as juniper, peppercorns, garlic and coriander.
After the first salting, Parma hams are stored in refrigerated rooms under controlled temperature and humidity for six to seven days. The ham is lightly coated with salt for a second time and is left to rest for a longer period under controlled conditions. These repeated treatments allow a slow and uniform salt penetration into the ham. At the same time the ham naturally and progressively 'loses weight' or shrinks. Parma hams are then cured in progressively warmer ageing rooms. The process takes at least 10 months for hams weighing between 7 and 9 kg and longer for heavier hams.
Bayonne hams are cured in a similar way. The application of a mixture of pork fat and flour to the muscular parts of the ham, called pannage, makes the drying process gentler during the long maturation period. The average period required to make a Jambon de Bayonne is around nine to 10 months, with a minimum of seven. Larger hams can take up to a year.
Serrano hams are washed two weeks after being salted for the first time. They are then hung to dry for what is termed the first curing phase during which the fat starts breaking down. It lasts approximately six months. Next up is the air-drying phase. The hams are hung in a cool, dry place and the distinct, subtle flavours and aromas develop. This phase lasts from six to 18 months, depending on the climate, as well as the size and types of ham being cured.
Black Forest and Ardennes hams are smoked in addition to being air-dried. Black Forest ham is smoked cold over pine branches and pine sawdust at a temperature of 25-27°C for approximately two to three weeks. Juniper berries are added to the sawdust to impart a special flavour. Ardennes hams are smoked over beech and oak sawdust into which juniper berries are mixed. The sawdust slowly wastes away without flame, and the smoke produces the golden colour and characteristic aroma of the Ardennes ham.
Seal of approval
When the hams have been aged sufficiently, the moment of truth arrives. The quality test for ham is an olfactory one. In Parma, the age-old tradition of the spillatura dictates that the ham should be pierced in five different places with a special bone sliver. The scent of ham on the splinter gives the panel of connoisseurs an indication of the quality of the ham. Only the hams that are proven to be perfectly and homogeneously mature are branded with the seal of the ducal crown conferred by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma. The others are rejected on the spot. Nowadays, a code which identifies the place of origin of each single ham appears next to the ducal crown.
The leathery crusts of Serrano hams are pierced in a similar way with the long splinter of a cow bone. Technology has recently allowed more scientific testing of quality. Bayonne hams, for example, are frequently tested by approved laboratories for their physical, chemical, microbiological and organoleptic characteristics, as are Black Forest hams.
The proof lies in the eating
There are a few golden rules pertaining to the enjoyment of air-dried hams. First of all the ham should be sliced paper-thin to release the maximum aroma. Ham is a room temperature product and is best stored in a cool, dry place. Only if it is absolutely necessary should the ham be refrigerated and then enough time should be left for acclimatisation before it is served. Exposure to the air can dry it out and more importantly, dissipates the special aromas, so the ham should be sliced just before serving.
Two of the most superb starters ever created are Pros-ciutto di Parma con melone and Prosciutto di Parma con fichi. Wafer-thin slices of Parma ham are served with the summer-sweetness of melon or freshly picked figs. A Spanish culinary tradition, the rehogado con jamón imparts a wonderful flavour to vegetables such as artichokes, green beans and Brussels sprouts. Diced Serrano ham is lightly fried in olive oil, before cooked vegetables are sauteéd in the mixture.
Bearing gifts
The inhabitants of the Adour basin claim that the French revolution dethroned the king but not the ham! In June 1793, four years after the French revolution started, a delegation from the town of Pau went to Paris to hand a 'patriotic collection' to the Paris municipality. In their hamper were 362 hams, 185 shoulders of pork, 119 pieces of bacon and 24 goose legs. This went down so well with Fleuriot, Mayor of Paris, that he asked the delegation to stay in Paris until the celebration of the 20th day of the month of Prairial (on the revolutionary calendar), and put his private box at the opera at their disposal.
With Christmas bonus time coming up, it might be a good idea to arrange a 'patriotic collection' for the boss. A rosy Parma ham will set you back about R240 per kilogram. An Ardenne ham is slightly cheaper at R169 per kilogram. Real Black Forest ham and Serrano have been largely unavailable in South Africa for more than a year because of trade restrictions relating to foot-and-mouth disease. A Bayonne at R260 per kilogram might even inspire your boss to organise a private box at Newlands or Ellis Park in addition to offering you some financial 'Christmas cheer'!
