Westphalian ham

Westphalian ham atop bread, with cheese

Westphalian ham (German: Westfälischer Schinken) is a ham produced from acorn-fed pigs raised in the forests of Westphalia, Germany.[1][2] The resulting meat is dry cured and then smoked over a mixture of beechwood and juniper branches.[1][3][4][2]

The hams are prepared for consumption solely by the process of smoking, which preserves them, and are typically eaten thinly sliced in their preserved state without additional cooking.[3][5][6][7][8]

Westphalian ham has been regarded as famous and as a delicacy food by some food writers.[3][4]

History

During his travels in Germany, Thomas Jefferson (April 13 [O.S. April 2] 1743 – July 4, 1826) documented the production of Westphalian ham and aspects the hogs used to produce it.[1]

In the early 1900s, there were three varieties of Westphalia ham: kugel cut, boneless and rolled, and regulation ham.[9]

In the early 1900s, significant quantities of Westphalian ham was being exported from Germany into the United States.[3]

See also

References

Further reading

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