30 years ago we arrived in Chartes too late for lunch. In a small bar we asked if there was any food... jambon sandwich was the only offering. The waitress slapped some ham between two
pieces of unbuttered bread. I thought, oh well, it's food. But then I had my first taste! Both the bread and the ham sublime. Afterword I had an apricot sorbet from a street vendor. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I wonder if such an experience is still available??

<i>The waitress slapped some ham between two
pieces of unbuttered bread.</i>

That is surprising; these sandwiches used to be buttered for almost anything except pâté.

The answer to the OP's question is yes.

For the life of me I cannot remember the name of the butcher shop in Iowa that produces Europe style meats. I saw it on an episode of Bizarre Foods America.
There is a local butcher shop(Grove City, Minnesota) that cures hams at Easter time for two months until they are moldy and excellent tasting but the price is triple of grocery store prices.

Michael... well, it really was a bar.... probably didn't even have butter around. But it did'nt matter.... I still remember how wonderful it tasted. (And without Hellman's mayo, too -:)

I love this site, I really do, but I have to admit, I'm disappointed on behalf of all humanity to see the bickering between Travelgourmet, BigAleinstein, Cowboy1968, and others I see in this thread.

The OP asked a simple question, obviously because he or she wanted to known an answer to something, and came to Fodor's because he or she enjoys the community, and trusts people to provide feedback.

Instead, you guys get off on tangents arguing about olive oil, or book learning vs real-life experience, or USDA, FDA, single importer, etc.

Seriously, are your egos so big you can't put yourselves and your petty desire to have the last word and be right aside for just a few moments to instead answer the OP? Is your insecurity so deep, you have to fight online, to somehow prove your superiority?

I love this site, I love travel, and I love how whenever I post something, I get 30 responses in a few hours. I've never had bickering and fighting in my posts, and I hope I never do.

Penalty Box for all of you involved. Fifteen minutes.

I may have come across a bit more...b****y than I meant to, my apologies to all!

The "butcher shop in Iowa" that ZP saw on a tv show is probably La Quercia, which I mentioned several times on this thread. AS recently as yesterday, there was an article in the NYTimes that I linked two days ago (see my post of August 6th, above). They produce hams of such high quality that they are served in top restaurants. And the price for their prosciutto is in the area of what the best Italian examples sell for in most shops.

Ok, ekscrunchy, I'm on it!

Hope this is not beating a dead horse, or pig, but I was surprised to notice, upon browsing the site of a well-known producer of jamon Iberico (Fermin) that sugar is listed as an ingredient in both the bellota and the "regular" Iberico.

The site seems to indicate that sugar is an ingredient in all of the curing processes. Am I missing something here??

http://www.embutidosfermin.com/pdf/j...icoBellota.pdf

<i>The site seems to indicate that sugar is an ingredient in all of the curing processes. Am I missing something here??</i>

Sugar is more of a flavoring agent than a curing agent. It is used to cut the harshness of the salt. It may encourage some beneficial bacterial growth, but you can cure without sugar.

I would also note that the producer you linked to also uses potassium nitrate, sodium nitrite, and sodium citrate. The first two are preservatives, and the sodium citrate is used to balance the acidity.

I had some delicious ham last night. I don't know where it came from but I ate it in NJ.

Hams, salamis, etc imported into the US are, I believe, required by the FDA to have preservatives sodium nitrite added to the cured meats. Lots of it. It makes it dry and less tasty.

In Europe, there are many small butchers, gourmet shops which serve hams, salamis etc without sodium nitrites and the taste is totally different. Also it's a little oilier than the US imports. If someone knows, verify for me. Do you get Coriscan hams in the US? I heard they were available in the US as they won't comply with the FDA presevative laws. I could be wrong!

Interesting about the sugar, and the preservatives, because this producer has a very good reputation. And the ham with one of the best reputations of all, 5 Jotas, also uses sugar and preservatives, as indicated here. This does not refer to hams solely for export to the US.


http://www.jamoniberico.com/jamon-5-...n-reserva.html

None of this matters to me, as I think this is one of the world's gastronomic delights. But curious in light of the discussions above.

Thanks to all who gave informative answers.

ericjonolsen----I'm with you. STOP THE MADNESS!

After reading some of the responses I was almost sorry I asked the question.

<i>Interesting about the sugar, and the preservatives, because this producer has a very good reputation.</i>

There is nothing wrong with potassium nitrates, sodium nitrites, or sodium citrate, so I don't see why it should negatively impact their reputation.

<i>Hams, salamis, etc imported into the US are, I believe, required by the FDA to have preservatives sodium nitrite added to the cured meats. Lots of it. It makes it dry and less tasty.</i>

Nope. Strictly salt-cured products can be imported into the US. This has been in the case since at least the '80s. Prosciutto di Parma, for example, is widely available in the US and cannot be made with nitrate or nitrite.

As for the "dry" bit, ummm, any cured meat will be "dry". It is kind of definitional.

<i>In Europe, there are many small butchers, gourmet shops which serve hams, salamis etc without sodium nitrites and the taste is totally different.</i>

I think you'd be surprised by the prevalence of nitrites in European cured meats. The reality is that they can serve a legitimate purpose in preventing microorganism growth.

<i>Also it's a little oilier than the US imports.</i>

That would likely be due to differing breeds of livestock used that might have higher fat contents. Pork, in particular, tends be leaner in the US.

<i>Do you get Coriscan hams in the US? I heard they were available in the US as they won't comply with the FDA presevative laws. I could be wrong!</i>

I've never seen them, but there are regulatory pathways available for their importation if they so desired. The legal requirement in the US is simply that, in the absence of minimum usage of sodium nitrite, you can prove you've effectively managed the safety of the product through other means.