What makes Black Forest ham unique?
What makes Black Forest ham unique?
Overview of Black Forest ham.
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
Transcript
NARRATOR: Black Forest ham is famed for its unmistakable smoked flavor and the region it is made in. The EU has strict regulations that must be adhered to before manufacturers can call their ham Black Forest. Such ham has to be produced in the Black Forest according to traditional smoking methods. Organically raised pigs that have lived happy lives tend to make the tastiest.
MARTIN BRAUN: "The quality of the meat is noticeably better. It makes for firm, full-bodied ham. Industrially farmed pigs are fattened too quickly and often have higher water content that's lost in the pan or gives a ham that's very soft."
NARRATOR: For hundreds of years, Black Forest farmers have been making ham in their own smokehouses. It's a tradition that was born of necessity.
BRAUN: "Farmers needed to come up with a way to preserve meat before the days of cold storage. They devised a means of smoking and salting their products so they'd last longer."
NARRATOR: Here at a Black Forest ham factory, traditional smoking methods are implemented on a mass scale. Some 400 pig legs go through here everyday on their way to becoming ham. The first step is to purify the meat by salting and spicing it.
ULRICH ALBERT: "The salt mixture is prepared according to an age-old company recipe that includes black pepper, coriander and juniper berries. These spices are milled together with salt and a bit of sugar. The steps the company butcher, who came up with the recipe, took centuries ago."
NARRATOR: Naturally, the exact ratio of ingredients used is a well-kept secret. Now the curing process begins. The salt mixture drains the meat of its water over a period of three to five weeks during which the weight of the ham can decrease by up to 25 percent. Next stop, the high-tech smokehouse, where the flavor is refined once again. The secret is to let the Black Forest ham smoke slowly in a cool and intense vapor. Traditional smoking methods that make use of spruce sawdust and fir wood ensure that the ham takes on its characteristic flavor. Three weeks later, the industrially produced Black Forest ham is ready for sale, provided it gets the factory's seal of approval.
ALBERT: "You can spot genuine Black Forest ham by things like the color produced by the smoke. The lean meat is deep red and the fatty outer part is snow white. It has a full, distinctively nutty flavor. We always conduct a little test to make sure that the ham has matured properly. Tastes very good."
NARRATOR: Home smoking takes place at a much more leisurely pace of six weeks. A bundle of wood has to be burned in the oven every day to maintain the process.
BRAUN: "Smoking a ham according to old traditional methods is very special indeed. You immediately notice the difference in quality and it commands a much better price"
NARRATOR: The word has got out. Black Forest ham is known throughout the world for its superb quality, making it one of the region's most revered export products.
MARTIN BRAUN: "The quality of the meat is noticeably better. It makes for firm, full-bodied ham. Industrially farmed pigs are fattened too quickly and often have higher water content that's lost in the pan or gives a ham that's very soft."
NARRATOR: For hundreds of years, Black Forest farmers have been making ham in their own smokehouses. It's a tradition that was born of necessity.
BRAUN: "Farmers needed to come up with a way to preserve meat before the days of cold storage. They devised a means of smoking and salting their products so they'd last longer."
NARRATOR: Here at a Black Forest ham factory, traditional smoking methods are implemented on a mass scale. Some 400 pig legs go through here everyday on their way to becoming ham. The first step is to purify the meat by salting and spicing it.
ULRICH ALBERT: "The salt mixture is prepared according to an age-old company recipe that includes black pepper, coriander and juniper berries. These spices are milled together with salt and a bit of sugar. The steps the company butcher, who came up with the recipe, took centuries ago."
NARRATOR: Naturally, the exact ratio of ingredients used is a well-kept secret. Now the curing process begins. The salt mixture drains the meat of its water over a period of three to five weeks during which the weight of the ham can decrease by up to 25 percent. Next stop, the high-tech smokehouse, where the flavor is refined once again. The secret is to let the Black Forest ham smoke slowly in a cool and intense vapor. Traditional smoking methods that make use of spruce sawdust and fir wood ensure that the ham takes on its characteristic flavor. Three weeks later, the industrially produced Black Forest ham is ready for sale, provided it gets the factory's seal of approval.
ALBERT: "You can spot genuine Black Forest ham by things like the color produced by the smoke. The lean meat is deep red and the fatty outer part is snow white. It has a full, distinctively nutty flavor. We always conduct a little test to make sure that the ham has matured properly. Tastes very good."
NARRATOR: Home smoking takes place at a much more leisurely pace of six weeks. A bundle of wood has to be burned in the oven every day to maintain the process.
BRAUN: "Smoking a ham according to old traditional methods is very special indeed. You immediately notice the difference in quality and it commands a much better price"
NARRATOR: The word has got out. Black Forest ham is known throughout the world for its superb quality, making it one of the region's most revered export products.