Jinhua ham

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Jinhua ham (金華火腿, 金华火腿; pinyin:jī huá huó tuí) is a type of dry-cured ham produced in Jinhua city, Zhejiang province of China. The ham has been produced for over a thousand and two hundred years since the Song dynasty, and is highly regarded in Chinese cuisine. It is eaten as part of a cold meat dish, used in producing soup stock, or to impart its unique and umami flavour to any dish. Jinhua ham is an important ingredient in the dish Buddha jumps over the wall. The ham has been lauded in classical Chinese literature.

The ideal ham should have certain physical characteristics such as 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 odour, 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 is known to contribute to the flavour of the ham.