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.

Related Topics:
Thigh - Buttock - Animal - Meat - Pork - Pig - Boar

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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. 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.

Related Topics:
Salt - Sodium nitrate - Sodium nitrite - Sugar - United States

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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.

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Dry-cured varieties include prosciutto (the Italian style of dry-cured ham) and Parma ham or prosciutto di Parma (prosciutto from the city of Parma). Spain has jamón serrano. The United States has country ham (including Virginia ham), which is smoked. England has the York ham. Germany's Westphalian ham is usually smoked over juniper.

Related Topics:
Prosciutto - Italian - Parma - Jamón serrano - England - Germany - Juniper

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Ham is also processed into other meat products such as SPAM luncheon meat. It is also a popular dish for eating on Easter.

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