Gourmet Indulgence: Ham from France

LakeWashington
Tue, 06 Oct 2015 14:13:27 +0000

No, as I understand it the traditional dry cured southern hams are not raw. My southern relatives would have never eaten it without simmering it or baking it (ugh, tough!!!), but I have sliced it thin and eaten it without “cooking” it, just like prosciutto. Some folks soak it first to leech out the heavy salt content. It’s great stuff but it’s getting hard to find in some southern and mid-atlantic metropolitan areas except for Christmas time. Couldn’t event find it in supermarkets in Northern Virginia when I would visit there. Apparently the only place you can get it year round at a reasonable price is Smithfield, VA. The last time I bought a whole ham was at a Walmart near Charlotte NC. Northern supermarkets in metro NYC do carry it but it is very pricey.