norgeskog
Washing Up
velochic said:I dunno, norgeskog, I live in Munich and it seems like the Black Forest Ham that we eat here (obviously authentic) and the one we get from our gourmet "charcuterie" back in the States when we are visiting are remarkably similar. If the smoking is done properly, I can tell little difference. I think the main difference is that everything is SO fresh here and they use no preservatives, so maybe if the company that is curing the meat uses something in addition to smoking to preserve the meat, the taste will be different. Dunno... last time I was in the States was 2 months ago. I was amazed at how CHEMICAL everything tasted. Everything here is just so FRESH, from scratch.
Edited to add: I agree with norgeskog that the stuff you get pre-packaged or from large chain grocery store delis is NOT anything like Black Forest Ham. Try going to a gourmet deli - from what I've heard, some even do the curing/smoking themselves. The BFH that we get in the US that tastes so authentic is from such a deli.
I think one of the major problems here is that so many chemicals are used. It has been 30 years since I was in Munich (BTW loved the center where the clocks chime and the little statues run thru, still there??) so maybe I have forgotten. I have purchased Black Forest Ham at a specialized deli, but not here in Eugene, have not found one. However, I do like what I get at Trader Joe's. All of the packaged ham has an ominous statement 'water added.' Obviously that is not for our benefit, it just weighs more. The West Virginia hams are wonderful, but it is hard to find them unless you travel there. Ah well, the next time I visit family in Norway I can get very good ham there. The chemical and unidentifable contents in packaged food is why I cook everything from scratch unless there are less than 5 ingredients...