Hams From The United States
The addition of ham to the cuisine of the United States came during the 17th century when the country was under the influence of Britain and in the 19th century when they were under France and started specifically in the state of Louisiana. The French in Louisiana are known to have used the process of wet curing for their hams that are the basis for the stock of most of their dishes like gumbos and sandwiches. Before the early twentieth century, men who live in the southern Appalachian Mountains would send their pigs to the markets in the flatlands each autumn.
Ham is regulated in the United States by the USDA and they recognize the following categories:
A fresh ham is an uncured hind leg of pork. Country ham can be uncooked, dried, cured, smoked, or unsmoked and is made from a single piece of meat from the hind leg or from a pork shoulder. The Smithfield ham is the most famous ham from Virginia that is a country ham grown and produced in Smithfield, Virginia. Other lesser known hams are from Tenessee and the Appalachians. They both have a similar method of production and most often include honey in their curing and they are hickory smoked.
According to the US law, ham is defined as the cured hind leg of pork that is made up of at least 20.5% protein without counting the fatty portions and does not contain added water. Turkey ham can still be legally called ham if the meat is taken from the thigh. A ham that has less than 20.5% protein but with at least 18.5% is called a ham with natural juices added. Ham that is called "ham-water added" contains 17% protein and 10% of added solution. "Ham and water product" is referred to any cured hind leg of pork that has an addition of any amount of water but it must still indicate the percentage of the added ingredients. Ham that has been cut into smaller pieces and then molded is termed as "sectioned and formed" and if it is coarsely ground, it is called "chunked and formed".
Sugar is used to cover the saltiness of many dry hams in the United States. The most common kind of wet-cured ham that is available in the supermarkets is the "city ham" variety. In this kind of ham, brine is injected into the meat for faster curing.
About the Author
You can get information about jamon serrano in jamon de trujillo http://www.jamondetrujillo.com The author of this article is Juan GallThe author of this article is Juan Gallo
Tell others about
this page:
Comments? Questions? Email Here