Jinhua ham
Chinese cured ham From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chinese cured ham From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jinhua ham (Chinese: 金華火腿) is a type of specialty dry-cured ham named after the city of Jinhua, where it is produced, in Zhejiang province, China.[1][2] The ham is used in Chinese cuisines to flavor stewed and braised foods as well as for making the stocks and broths of many Chinese soups. The ham was awarded first prize in the 1915 Panama International Merchandise Exhibition.[3]
Jinhua ham | |
| Alternative names |
|
|---|---|
| Type | dry-cured ham |
| Place of origin | China |
| Region or state | Jinhua |
| Jinhua ham | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 金華火腿 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 金华火腿 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Jinhua ham is traditionally produced using the hind legs of a breed of pig native to China known as the "two ends black" (兩頭烏), which have black hair growing on their heads and hindquarters with white midsections. This breed is quick to mature; it has excellent meat quality and thin skin.[4][5] Ham production begins when air temperatures drop below 10 °C (50 °F). The process takes approximately 8 to 10 months to complete.[3][6]
Ham production is separated into six stages, starting in the winter and ending the following autumn:[3][6]
New processing techniques involving adjustments in aging temperature and humidity can accelerate production and reduce the time down to 1–2 months.[3]
The earliest recorded mention of the Jinhua ham processing technique is during the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD), and this method of dry ham production is reported by some to have been in turn transmitted to Europe by Marco Polo.[6] However, in Italy the preserving of pork leg as ham has a much longer history, with traces of production of cured ham among the Etruscan civilization,[7] as early as the 6th and 5th century BC; as for ancient Rome, Cato[8] in around 160 BC, in his De Agri Cultura,[9] describes the process of salting the pork leg, in the way known today in Italy as "prosciutto crudo" (raw ham). Moreover, there is still a Roman road called "Panisperna" (panis= bread and perna= pork leg).
The name Jinhua was bestowed by the first emperor of the southern Song dynasty.[6] It is highly regarded in Chinese cuisine,[10] and may be eaten as part of a cold meat dish or used in producing soup stock, imparting its unique, umami flavor to any dish. Jinhua ham is an important ingredient in the dish Buddha jumps over the wall. The ham has been lauded in Chinese literature, and was prominently featured in the Qing dynasty novel Dream of the Red Chamber, when the cuisine of the nobility was being described.
The ideal ham should have certain physical characteristics, such as a shiny and smooth yellow outside, a rounded shape in the style of a bamboo leaf, small joint and hoof, a thin and slender bone, an abundant layer of fat surrounding dark and red toned meat, a pronounced but not unpleasant odor, a fine textured meat with high levels of intramuscular fat, and a taste that is highly salty, umami, and sweet. The outside of the ham may have small amounts of mold, but this is considered normal and thought to contribute to the ham's flavor.[11]
The taste of Jinhua ham arises from the high concentration of free amino acids and nucleotides in the ham, more specifically, glutamic acid and 5'-inosinic acid. Although the total amount of amino acids is not different from the uncured ham, the high proportion of the free compounds from the long curing process allows for the highly umami taste of the ham. The taste is also contributed by fermentation, due largely to the molds and some yeasts present on the ham.[10][12]
The aroma and the aroma compounds of Jinhua ham are similar to that of dry-cured Iberian hams but different from light Italian and Parma hams. This is likely due to the longer aging and environmental exposure of both Jinhua and Iberian hams. The fragrant compounds consist of aldehydes, sulfur compounds such as methanethiol and dimethyl disulfide, and branched alkenes, which are derived from the breakdown and rearrangement of amino acids and fatty acids caused by auto-oxidation and fermentation.[12]
In 2003, Jinhua ham was the center of a controversial food safety incident in China. In the incident, several small producers of Jinhua hams operated out of season and produced hams during warmer months, treating their hams with pesticides to prevent spoilage and insect infestation.[13] The hams were soaked in the pesticide dichlorvos, which is a volatile organophosphate insecticide used for fumigation.[14] The incident strongly affected legitimate makers of the ham and caused a sharp drop-off in market demand.[15]
Chinese hams
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
