ham comes from the hind leg in a pig.
ham comes from the hind leg in a pig.
where does ham come from in a pig?
hind leg
bullet::::- butcher hog, a pig of approximately , ready for the market. in some markets (italy) the final weight of butcher pig is in the range. they to have hind legs suitable to produce cured ham









































bullet::::- backfatter, cull breeding pig sold for meat; usually refers specifically to a cull sow, but is sometimes used in reference to boars









































section::::terminology.:groups.









































bullet::::- herd, a group of pigs, or all the pigs on a farm or in a region









































bullet::::- sounder, a small group of pigs (or wild boar) foraging in woodland









































section::::terminology.:pig parts.
pig farming
pigs are part of the mixed farming economy. traditionally every farm kept a pig as part of the staple diet. during the winter, the main source of meat was cured ham and bacon from pigs raised on the farm. hams were cured in the large chimneys of farm kitchens, which slowly dried the ham and bacon after it had been salted. this tradition has largely died out, but the remaining producers make hams which are similar to bayonne, serrano, or parma hams. freshly cured ham is sliced for grilling, older ham is boiled as a york ham, and ham cured for many months is sliced wafer thin, like parma ham. carmarthen ham has a similar delicious farmyard flavour. the hocks have the greatest flavour, and need to be boiled a long time to soften the meat. they make a good base for winter stew, or a summer ‘paysanne’ salad. dry-cured carmarthen ham can be found at carmarthen market. five generations of the rees family have sold ham here spanning 200 years. and their family were the first commercial producers of dry-cured ham in britain. carmarthen ham is dry salt-cured and then air dried and sold whole boneless, or sliced thinly and vacuum packed. legend has it that when the romans settled in carmarthen they stole the recipe and on their return to italy called it parma ham. the ham is cut in thin wafers and is served like prosciutto or parma ham, but is saltier. carmarthen ham production remains a cottage industry, in order to keep it a premium product. carmarthen ham is a particular favourite of the prince of wales. the rees family also produce a short back and streaky bacon. this is dry-cured for one week and hung for a further three weeks. it is recommended that the bacon is blanched before frying to remove any excess salt. the rees family have more than 80 hams curing at any one time, and it takes nine months to cure they also have a mail order business and travel to the nearby markets of brecon, fishguard, haverfordwest, pembroke and cardigan. recipes for carmarthen ham include: ‘country ham with vegetable stew’, ‘pancakes stuffed with carmarthen ham and wild mushrooms with a savoury custard’, and ‘salad paysanne with carmarthen ham and lentils,’ and ‘carmarthen ham in beer’ carmarthenshire ham has featured on rick stein’s “food heroes” the welsh chef dudley recommends pork wrapped in carmarthenshire ham at the royal welsh show 2010, carmarthenshire ham was included in the new european protected food names initiative for protective geographical indication (pgi) status, which would give european union legal status to carmarthenshire ham.
cuisine of carmarthenshire