Westphalian ham ( German: Westfälischer Schinken) is a ham that was originally produced from acorn-fed pigs raised in the forests of Westphalia, Germany. [1] [2] The resulting meat is dry cured and then smoked over a mixture of beechwood and juniper branches. [1] [3] [4] [2]
The hams are prepared for consumption solely by the process of smoking, which preserves them, and are typically eaten thinly sliced in their preserved state without additional cooking. [3] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Westphalian ham is famed as a delicacy. [3] [4]
During his travels in Germany, Thomas Jefferson documented the production of Westphalian ham and aspects of the hogs used to produce it. [1]
In the early 1900s, there were three varieties of Westphalia ham: kugel cut, boneless and rolled, and regulation ham. [9]
In the early 1900s, significant quantities of Westphalian ham were being exported from Germany into the United States. [3]