- published: 06 Mar 2016
- views: 2015
Black Forest ham, or Schwarzwälder Schinken in German, is a variety of smoked ham, a pork product, produced in the Black Forest region of Germany. Ham is the thigh and rump from the haunch of a pig or boar.
Black Forest Ham is the best-selling smoked ham in Europe. The term "Black Forest ham" is a Protected Designation of Origin in the European Union, which means that anything sold in the EU as "Black Forest ham" must come from the Black Forest region in Germany. However, this appellation is not recognized in non-EU countries, particularly in United States and Canada, where various commercially produced hams of varying degrees of quality are marketed and sold as "Black Forest ham".
The production of Black Forest ham can take up to three months. Raw ham is salted and seasoned with garlic, coriander, pepper, juniper berries and other spices. After curing for two weeks, the salt is removed and the ham cures for another two weeks.[citation needed] Then the ham is cold smoked at a temperature of 25°C (77°F) for several weeks, during which time the ham acquires its deep red color. The smoke is created by burning fir brush and sawdust, and this smoking process gives the ham much of its rich flavor.
The Black Forest (German: Schwarzwald, pronounced [ˈʃvaʁt͡svald]) is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). The region is almost rectangular with a length of 200 km (120 mi) and breadth of 60 km (37 mi). Hence it has an area of approximately 12,000 km2 (4,600 sq mi).[citation needed] The name Schwarzwald, i.e. Black Forest, goes back to the Romans who referred to the thickly forested mountains there as Silva Nigra[citation needed], i.e. "Black Forest," because the dense growth of conifers in the forest blocked out most of the light inside the forest.
The Black Forest consists of a cover of sandstone on top of a core of gneiss and granites. Formerly it shared tectonic evolution with the nearby Vosges Mountains. Later during the Middle Eocene a rifting period affected the area and caused formation of the Rhine graben. During the last glacial period of the Würm glaciation, the Black Forest was covered by glaciers; several tarns (or lakes) such as the Mummelsee are remains of this period.
Grass fought through the snow.
Just like the rest, it grew to
grow. And somewhere, on some
doorstep, a few curious knocks
filled an empty house.
I left a note, and I hope you found
it my old friend.
Alone I headed through with all I
ever had an all I knew. And as I
walked along, the wind through the
leaves in the tress built like a song.
And I like to sing, so I sang along.
Banging on a kettle drum an army's
gone a war was won, and we could
talk for hours or even not at all.
Once I ached for something,
something good and whole and true
and all my own. Didn't I tell you, if
I could find it, I'd leave a note?
I left a note.
Chorus