Fermented ham has become an indispensable product for meals and banquets in some European countries. Whether it can provide high-quality ham has even become an important criterion for evaluating the grade of restaurants. Fermented ham is becoming a symbol of healthy food and tasteful life with its unique technology, mellow flavor and top quality.
Spaniards love to eat raw ham, which is the most delicious food specialty in Spain and the strongest symbolic totem in this patriarchal country. Centuries of handcrafting and artistic inheritance have given it a unique flavor.
Serrano ham is the entry-level of Spanish ham, and Iberian ham, known as Spain's national treasure, is very popular. Spain's top ham comes from Jabugo, a small Spanish village in Andalusia province. People who love ham will yearn for it as long as they hear the name.
The production time of Spanish ham is generally 2 to 3 years. The process of making this kind of ham is complicated and long. Piglets are slaughtered after reaching a certain weight, and the pig legs are marinated with high-grade sea salt without any artificial additives and chemical components. Then put it in the refrigerator at 4℃, and wipe off the sea salt after 12 days. Raise the temperature to 20 degrees Celsius in the next three months. After three months, the pig legs will be hung in the storage cellar and kept for two years.
In Italy, the earliest method of making ham is to bury the pork leg in a bucket filled with salt, then air-dry and smoke the leg meat. The processing technology of ham was improved and the step of smoking was cancelled. However, after being salted, meticulous Italians like to apply fat mud mixed with lard, salt, rice flour and pepper to the exposed part of leg meat to prevent the ham from being dry and hard, and also to prevent mosquitoes.
1980, only 380,000 Italian Saint Daniel hams were produced under the protection of the name of origin. In 2006, more than 2.6 million hams were produced by 30 domestic producers, of which 18% were exported abroad, and more than 80% were snapped up in Italy, accounting for 14% of Italian raw ham sales.