Ham

This article is about the preserved uncooked leg of pork. For the cooked leg of pork, see Gammon (meat). For other uses, see Ham (disambiguation).

Typical slice of ham

Whole ham

Ham is a processed pork foodstuff, which undergoes preservation through curing, smoking, or salting. Ham was traditionally made only from the hind leg of swine, and referred to that specific cut of pork, but in modern usage 'ham' may not be a single cut of meat, and is often created through a process of re-forming.

The precise nature of meat termed 'ham' is controlled, often by statute, in a number of areas, including the United States and European Union, meaning that only products meeting a certain set of criteria can be called ham. In addition, there a numerous ham products which have specific geographical naming protection, such as Prosciutto di Parma in Europe, and Smithfield ham in the US.

Ham is also often colloquially used to mean any sliced (or re-formed) preserved meat, regardless of the animal it is made from, although this is usually qualified with the species of animal as with turkey ham.

Definition

Ham has a number of definitions, and its meaning has evolved over time. Ham was originally the cut of pork deriving from the hind legs of swine, which was then often preserved through processes such as curing, smoking, or salting. Cooked leg of pork is called gammon.

Because of the preservation process, ham is a compound foodstuff or ingredient, being made up of the original meat, as well as the remnants of the preserving agent(s), such as salt, but it is still recognised as a food in its own right.

In many countries the term is now protected by statute, with a specific definition. For instance, in the United States, the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) says that "the word “ham,” without any prefix indicating the species of animal from which derived, shall be used in labeling only in connection with the hind legs of swine".

In addition to the main categories, some processing choices can affect legal labeling. For instance, in the United State, a 'smoked' ham must have been smoked by hanging over burning wood chips in a smokehouse or an atomized spray of liquid smoke such that the product appearance is equivalent; a "hickory-smoked" ham must have been smoked using only hickory. However, injecting "smoke flavor" is not legal grounds for claiming the ham was "smoked"; these are labeled "smoke flavor added". Hams can only be labelled "honey-cured" if honey was at least 50% of the sweetener used, is at least 3% of the formula, and has a discernible effect on flavor. So-called "lean" and "extra lean" hams must adhere to maximum levels of fat and cholesterol per 100 grams of product.

Ham which is re-formed from smaller pieces in to a larger block also has to be labelled in many jursidictions.

Etymology

The word "ham" is derived from the Old English ham or hom meaning the hollow or bend of the knee, from a Germanic base where it meant 'crooked'. It gained the meaning of the leg of an animal around the 15th century.

Method

There are several methods for producing ham from raw meat, and this is undertaken to preserve and flavour the meat. Most ham is safe to eat following preservation, without the need for cooking.

Dry curing

Traditional dry cure hams may use only salt as the curative agent, such as with San Daniele or Parma hams, although this is comparatively rare. This process involves cleaning the raw meat, covering it in salt (for about two months for Parma ham) whilst it is gradually pressed - draining all the blood. It is then washed and hung in a dark, temperature regulated place until dry. It is then hung to air for another period of time.

The duration of the curing process varies by the type of ham, with Serrano ham curing in 9-12 months, Parma hams taking more than 12 months, and Iberian ham taking up to 2 years to reach the desired flavour characteristics.

Most modern dry cure hams also use nitrites (either sodium or potassium), which are added along with the salt, although following a similar methodology. The nitrites deliver a distinctive pink or red tinge to the meat, as well as imparting flavour. The amount and mixture of salt and nitrites used has an impact on the shrinkage of the meat, with increased salt volume reducing shrinkage.

Sodium nitrite is used for the because it prevents bacterial growth and, in a reaction with the meat's myoglobin, gives the product a desirable dark red color. Because of the toxicity of nitrite (the lethal dose of nitrite for humans is about 22 mg per kg body weight), some areas specify a maximum allowable content of nitrite in the final product. Under certain conditions, especially during cooking, nitrites in meat can react with degradation products of amino acids, forming nitrosamines, which are known carcinogens.

The dry curing of ham involves a number of biochemical reactions caused by enzymes. The enzymes involved are proteinases (cathepsins - B, D, H, and L, calpains) and exopeptidases (peptidase and aminopeptidase.

The enzymes cause an intense proteolysis in the muscle tissue, which creates large numbers of small peptides and free amino acids, whilst the muscle and adipose tissue lipids undergo lipolysis and create free fatty acids.

The salt in the curing process acts as a strong inhibitor of proteolytic activity, and phosphates also have an effect on reducing this activity.

The properties of the raw meat have a major impact on the impact of the enzymes, with factors including age of the animal and breeding impacting the process, as well as weight of the pig. During the process itself, conditions such as temperature, time, water activity, redox potential and salt content all have an impact.

Wet curing

Wet curing involves the immersion of the meat in a brine, sometimes with other ingredients such as sugar also added for flavour. Meat is submerged in the brine for around 3-14 days, during which time the meat needs to be kept submerged, and the brine mixture agitated periodically to prevent separation of the ingredients.

Wet curing also has the effect of increasing volume and weight of the finished product, by about 4%.

The wet curing process can also be replicated by using mechanical pumping using needles and curing solution. This can be quicker, increase the weight of the finished product by more than immersion wet curing, and ensure a more even distribution of salt through the meat. This process is quicker than traditional wet cure, normally being completed between a few days and a few weeks.

Smoking

See also: Smoking (cooking)

Ham can also be preserved through the smoking method, where it is placed in a smokehouse (or equivalent) to be cured by the action of smoke.

The main flavor compounds of smoked ham are guaiacol, and its 4-, 5-, and 6-methyl derivatives as well as 2,6-dimethylphenol. These compounds are produced by thermal breakdown (i.e., combustion) of lignin, a major constituent of wood used in the smokehouse.

Protected designations

Hams aging in an atmospherically controlled storage room in Mazerolles, Béarn

Spanish Jamón de Guijuelo, a protected designation ham

There are a wide number of hams worldwide which have some level of protection of their unique characteristics, usually relating to their method of preservation and/or location of production or processing. Dependant on jursidiction, rules may prevent any other product being sold with the particular appelation, such as through the European protected geographical indication.

Belgium

• Jambon d'Ardenne - Wallonia, Belgium

Bulgaria

• Elenski but - Elena

China

• Jinhua ham - Jinhua

Croatia

• Pršut

France

• Bayonne ham (Jambon de Bayonne) - Bayonne
• Jambon de Paris - Paris
• Jambon d'Aoste
• Jambon de Savoie
• Jambon d'Auvergne
• Jambon d'Ardèche

Germany

• Ammerländer Schinken - Ammerland
• Schwarzwälder Schinken - Black Forest
• Westfälischer Schinken - Westphalia

Italy

• Prosciutto di Parma - Parma
• Prosciutto di Praga
• San Daniele
• Speck Alto Adige - South Tyrol
• Vallée d’Aoste Jambon de Bosses - Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, Aosta Valley

Luxembourg

• Éisleker ham - Oesling region

Montenegro

• Njeguška pršuta - Njeguši, Montenegro

Portugal

• fiambre
• presunto

Spain

• jamón serrano (Serrano ham)
• jamón ibérico - Iberia
• Lacón Gallego - Galicia
• Los Pedroches - Córdoba
• Jamón de Huelva (Jabugo) - Huelva, Andalusia
• Jamón de Guijuelo
• Dehesa de Extremadur - Cáceres and Badajoz

United Kingdom

• Wiltshire cure ham
• York ham - York

United States

• Smithfield ham - Smithfield, Virginia

Uses

Ham is typically used in its sliced form, often as a filling for sandwiches and similar foods, such as in the ham sandwich and ham and cheese sandwich. Other variations include toasted sandwiches such as the croque-monsieur.

It is also used chopped in a wide range of dishes, such as omelettes.

Whole pork leg is also served cooked as gammon.

See also

• Pork

External links

• Ham history
• United States Department of Agriculture: Ham and food safety
• Cook´s Thesaurus: ham