City ham is a term used in some parts of the United States for any lightly
cured and/or smoked
ham
Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...
which must be refrigerated to preserve it. It is generally "wet cured", that is injected with or soaked in a
brine solution containing high concentrations of
salts
In chemistry, a salt is a chemical compound consisting of an ionic assembly of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, which results in a compound with no net electric charge. A common example is table salt, with positively c ...
(including
sodium chloride,
sodium nitrate, and
sodium nitrite
Sodium nitrite is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula NaNO2. It is a white to slightly yellowish crystalline powder that is very soluble in water and is hygroscopic. From an industrial perspective, it is the most important nitrite ...
). This is distinguished from
country ham
Country ham is a variety of heavily salted ham preserved by curing and smoking, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States.
Production
Country hams are salt-cured (with or without nitrites) for one to three months. They are us ...
s which are dry cured by being packed in crystalline curing salts and stored at room temperature. In parts of the U.S. where country ham is not consumed, city hams are often the only available hams and are just called ham.
City hams may be sold pre-cooked and "ready-to-eat", or simply cured and smoked, which must then be cooked before consuming. Many types of city ham are sliced as
cold cuts
Lunch meats—also known as cold cuts, luncheon meats, cooked meats, sliced meats, cold meats, sandwich meats, and deli meats—are precooked or cured meats that are sliced and served cold or hot. They are typically served in sandwiches or on ...
in
delicatessen
Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a retail establishment that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessen originated in Germany (original: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the m ...
s and served as part of a
ham sandwich
The ham sandwich is a common type of sandwich. The bread may be fresh or toasted, and it can be made with a variety of toppings including cheese and vegetables like lettuce, tomato, onion or pickle slices. Various kinds of mustard and mayonnai ...
.
See also
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List of hams
This is a list of notable hams and ham products. Ham is pork that has been preserved through salting, smoking, or wet curing. It was traditionally made only from the hind leg of swine, and referred to that specific cut of pork."Bacon: Bacon a ...
External links
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Ham
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