Smoked, boiled or dried: for many centuries ham has played an important role for people who know pork as a dominant provider of energy. Having arisen from the necessity of making meat slaughtered in winter durable for a longer period of time, ham has become a delicacy with a very special flavour, created by artful salting, curing and smoking.
The flavour and aroma of ham is the result of numerous different factors: among these are the duration of the production, the temperature and moisture levels present during the manufacturing, the salt that is used, the seasoning that is added, and last but not least, the quality of the utilized meat. Since not every piece of pork is good enough for a delicious ham!
Black Forest ham is manufactured from selected gammon. Seasoned with great care in accordance with traditional recipes and salted by hand, the ham then rests in the “salt” for a couple of weeks. Subsequent to this, it is smoked with a mixture of green pine twigs, sawdust and wood chips made of Black Forest fir trees. In the course of the smoking period, which lasts three weeks, the ham then obtains its typical smoky colour. Once this has been completed, the ham has to rest and mature: after 12 weeks the ham is ready for consumption.
