Ham: The best varieties at a glance

Hams are the rear thighs of the pig. The meat is cured, boiled, fried, dried or smoked and usually eaten cold. Mediterranean ham are first salted and then air-dried, German ham is usually first cured and then smoked.

Serrano ham

Comes from the Spanish mountains and is air-dried after salting for nine to 24 months. It tastes fine-nutty and has a powerful aroma.

Lachsschinken

It is not made from the pork leg but from a piece of pork loin - in fact it is not ham. After curing, the salmon ham is smoked warm and wrapped in a thin layer of bacon. It tastes delicate and mild and is very lean.

Ardennes ham

Comes from Belgium. It is cured and then cold smoked over hardwood and juniper or air-dried. It tastes spicy and beautiful after juniper.

Westphalian ham

Is dry-cured with the bone and smoked cold over beech wood. It is slightly smaller than Katenschinken, has tender, firm flesh and tastes nice and hearty.

Tyrolean bacon or farmer's bacon

Comes mostly from Austria or South Tyrol and is cured without bones and then slowly smoked cold. The bacon matures in the air or in the wine cellar. It is mixed with fat to varying degrees, quite firm (a stable knife for cutting is important) and tastes spicy.

Ibérico or Pata Negra ham

Comes from Spain and matures for up to three years. It is one of the finest ham varieties and comes from "black pigs", a special breed that feeds mainly on acorns. This ham has a very intense, aromatic taste. He is always air-dried. You can see a real Ibérico ham leg on the black hoof.

Katenschinken

Comes mainly from Schleswig-Holstein. The hams are very large and are cured with bone, then smoked very slowly over beech wood. The meat is tender-juicy and tastes mild to hearty-sweet. A bone ham consists of three parts: The pape is the largest piece with a thin layer of fat, the flower is smaller and tastes very strong. The cap, a piece with a lot of fat, lies over flower and pape and is cheaper. Katenschinken is often offered diced.

Parma ham

It is made from a very special breed of pig that comes from the area around Parma. The ham is rubbed with sea salt and then dried for about a year in the air. The trademark of this Italian specialty is the branded five-pointed crown. Parma ham tastes nutty and especially mild.

Black Forest ham

May only be made in the Black Forest. Typical are the dark color and the particularly strong smoke flavor. The ham is seasoned with pickling salt, garlic and juniper before being cold smoked over fir wood.