Ham meat
[English: ham]
Pickled or smoked pork legs are also called "turkey meat" and "blue smoked pork".
Zhejiang Jinhua, Jiangxi Anfu and Yunnan Xuanwei are the most famous. It is named for its fiery red meat. On the other hand, fireworks are often used in early production, so it is called. According to local records, Jinhua Ham was created in the Song Dynasty, which was used by Zhejiang people to comfort the anti-Jin army led by Lao Ze, and was later listed as a tribute, with a history of 800 years. By the Qing Dynasty, Jinhua ham had been exported to Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe and America. Anfu ham has a long history and originated in the pre-Qin period. It is the "baked egg" of pre-Qin sacrifice. In Wugong Mountain, a Taoist resort, local people use the first-class pig's trotters as sacrifices to ward off evil spirits and eliminate disasters. After the sacrifice, the egg meat is salted and pickled into "fire-baked eggs". Later, people pickled pork legs into "ham", which was regarded as a feast by distinguished guests at festivals or at home. Ham has the functions of invigorating spleen, stimulating appetite, promoting fluid production and nourishing blood, and can be used to treat fatigue, palpitation, anorexia, dysentery and chronic diarrhea. It has always been regarded as a delicacy on the table and a gift treasure.
But it also has some shortcomings, such as headache after eating for a long time. It has not been confirmed yet, and I will publish it after confirmation.
The origin of the name "ham"
Ham is a famous specialty of Jinhua, Zhejiang. The famous anti-gold star Zong Ze is from Yiwu, Jinhua, Zhejiang. He once presented the leg of pork pickled in his hometown to Song Qinzong. Salted pork leg is delicious. Because of its bright red color, Song Qinzong named it "Ham". From then on, ham became a tribute. Ham is a pig's hind leg. Jinhua ham should have been made from the hind legs of Jinhua Liangtouwu, but because Jinhua Liangtouwu is almost extinct, now the standard ham should be a common salted leg (that is, the leg salted in cold storage). There are Jinhua, Dongyang, Lanxi, Yiwu, Wuyi, Pujiang and Yongkang, all of which belong to Jinhua and are collectively referred to as Jinhua Ham. Lanxi used to be the largest, but Dongyang is now the largest.
About Jinhua ham
Zong Ze's story is true. The original name of ham is Zong Ze's hometown leg.
The more scientific explanation for the origin of ham is this. Ham actually originated in Wenzhou. There are often floods in Wenzhou, and because of the coastal areas, whenever there is a flood, the seawater will flow backwards. After the flood, the farmers came back from the shelter. Because the monks couldn't get out of the temple, and the flood came quickly and violently, large items such as livestock could not be taken away in time, farmers dug up some daily necessities and farm tools from the mud. Some drowned pigs were dug out of the mud and treated with natural nitrite and sodium chloride in seawater to become natural bacon or ham. Although pork was submerged by sea water, people tried to eat the submerged meat without rotting because there was no food to eat at that time. In fact, it tastes good and it is easy to keep fresh. Later, people invented the method of toad and bacon in the hole.
Ham is divided into super, first, second and third grades. It is necessary for a knowledgeable person to insert a label to judge the quality of ham. The label is made of bamboo, like an awl. A ham has three different parts, and each symbol is in a different part. According to different positions, it is divided into three signs: upper, middle and lower. Requirements for super legs: claws should be bent, ankles should be thin, legs should be full of leaves, fat thickness should not exceed 2 cm, and all three signs should have good fragrance. First-class leg requirements: two of the three signs should have a good smell, but none of the three signs should have an odor. Secondary leg requirements: no odor. Three-level leg requirements: a sign stinks. Super ham and first-class ham have red rings, second-class ham has yellow rings and third-class ham has no rings. These three kinds of hams are all printed with gallnut ink. But some hams are shoddy, so it's best to go to a regular place, such as a well-known supermarket. It's also my pleasure to come to the ham factory to buy our factory, but it's not easy to find, usually in the suburbs. Some famous ham shops are also better, such as Bandung Ham Shop. If it is an ordinary store, it depends on skill and luck.
There are also two products made of salt legs, one is called white board legs, which means Jinhua ham without sealing (if it is made according to the standard). This product will be stamped with Jinhua ham. Generally, their quality is not high, which is probably due to incomplete fermentation (semi-finished products) or odor. But it's not too bad, it's ok (just look at it and you'll know that all the hopeless ones have been thrown away). The other is called dried salt leg, which is the product of air-dried salt leg without fermentation. Because this kind of leg can be made all year round, it is very likely to spray dichlorvos when there are many flies in hot weather. The color of normal ham is the dark red of rose, while the salted dry legs are bright red, just like the red on the girl's face, softer than ham. Of course, according to the standard, dried salt legs should also have no rings and seals.
The production of ham goes through more than 80 processes. We can talk about the simple process: acceptance of fresh pork legs ★, trimming and cutting of leg blanks, curing ★ (curing room and leg bed, the total salt content is 9%~ 12% of the weight of fresh legs, and the dosage of sodium nitrite is ≤0.3‰)(* * * * six times), soaking legs, washing legs (stamping, first and second times), and. Relative humidity 70%~82%, fermentation room) (dry knife, pest inspection), shelf grading, stacking (turning and oiling), finished product. Note: ★ Quality control point.
Ham is now only sold in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and Singapore, and only fakes and smuggling are sold in Japan. The kind of ham eaten for breakfast in Europe and America is Parma ham produced by mechanization all the year round, and the price is about 100 yuan per catty. The European standard is quite strict, which requires that the raw materials of pig legs come from livestock farms, and no plague can occur within 200 kilometers around, so Jinhua ham has not yet entered the European and American markets.
other
Ham family: refers to amateur radio lovers; From the English word ham.