With its dedication to excellence and attention to the safeguarding of quality, King’s has made important contributions to the success, development and promotion of the culture of ham.
Contributions that today tell a story, the history of pig rearing, that first started thousands of years ago. Ten thousand years ago to be exact. In 8000 B.C. man first introduced pig’s meat in his diet.
This choice was influenced by a number of factors. In the first place the pig is an extremely docile animal, easy to look after and to manage, even by primitive populations. Then there is the fact that pig’s meat is rich, highly valued and qualitatively excellent. It can be processed in various ways throughout the entire year, but above all, it preserves very well. It’s preservation has also been improved through techniques passed on generation to generation.
In Italian there is a well known expression: “There is no part of a pig you cannot make something of it”, that accurately captures the invaluable nature of this food.
From this point on the use of pig’s meat grew considerably. Whilst the first “farms” are recorded in ancient Turkey, the Greeks were the first population to make real use of the meat in their diets. In Italy, the Romans were great consumers of the meat as well as the Gallic populations that left behind the great tradition of ham making across the Cisalpine territory, in the very region where today one of the most renowned producers of ham is based and operates.
After this we see organised farming and the start of the noble art of pork butchery, with its essential techniques of preservation, salting and aging. Throughout the years these techniques were safeguarded and refined, so that today the very best raw materials are used to create the most tasty of products, a true pleasure for the palate. This is the essence of excellence. Pure craftsmanship that King’s now maintains and safeguards.
This is King’s. The fusion of passion and art. And if art is the basis of our work only our passion makes it happen.
ALLOW YORSELF A MOMENT OF PURE PLEASURE
The best way to experience the aroma of the ham is to slice it by hand. A few simple tricks of the trade are all that it takes to indulge yourself in this taste sensation. First of all find yourself:
- A short narrow bladed knife, well sharpened
- A Boning Knife, long and narrow. Extremely sharp
- A Vice, the connoisseurs recommend a stainless-steel one, with support and handles in the finest wood, ideal for slicing by hand, carefully positioning the ham in a comfortable position.
Are you ready?
Trim the ham around point A, cutting towards the outside and down, without sinking the knife too deeply into the ham. Remove part of the surface glaze, trim off some of the fat and the rind. Using the same knife remove the small bone on the haunch (point B). Try to stay as close as possible to the bony part without cutting or tearing deeply into the lean part.
At this point trim off part of the rind and the fat found near the rump.
Now the ham is finally ready for hand slicing and you can start to slice thinly down to the bone.
As you slice cut away rind and fat as necessary.
When you reach the bone turn the ham over (point C) and prepare it again for slicing by removing glaze, rind and fat until you reach the lean part below. Cut until you reach the bone and the shin at the knuckle.
A TREASURE TO PROTECT
A few simple rules suffice. A few simple hints that will allow you to always have your ham to hand and to enjoy its full taste and aroma at any time of the day. Simple but indispensable precautions that will help to prevent microbiological changes that could affect the taste and the aroma of the product. At the moment of purchase it is in fact important to choose the quantity and packaging that best fits your needs. Preservation techniques vary according to the type of product. Sliced ham (even that in small pieces) should be eaten as soon as possible to maintain its freshness. A whole ham, however, must be carefully stored so that it maintains its characteristic freshness and quality.
Above all it is important to cut the ham in paper thin slices before serving, so that when it comes into contact with the air it takes on just the right aroma.
Slice as needed and protect the slices with a sheet of aluminium foil, wrap the ham in a layer of cotton (or better still wool) and at then store it in the upper part of the refrigerator.
For decorative purposes cut the ham into slightly thicker slices.
In the case of a vacuum packed ham, store it as it is at temperatures between 0 and 4°C. Remember that both the aroma and taste of the ham is best when at room temperature. Aging can only be continued if the ham is whole and on the bone, at temperatures between +15° to + 18° and humidity not in excess of 70%. It is important to carefully monitor aging, constantly checking that the ham does not become too dry. If this should occur, you should add a layer of lard (fat that covers the intestine of the pig with salt, pepper and rice four). From time to time and when the days are warm and dry open up the cellar so that you can indulge in the inebriating perfume that only a King’s ham releases during aging.
MAYBE NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT.
Pig's meat is not as fatty as you may have thought. Modern processing techniques, along with the increasingly sophisticated needs of consumers, have brought a new type of meat to our tables: leaner, higher in protein, safer and with lower cholesterol levels.
Every ham should be accompanied by its own wine. The raw and aged hams are better served with white wine, whilst the traditional cooked hams are better with red wine. Beer lovers are also kept happy. A pint of beer is the ideal companion for the best quality speck.
The hilarious comedy, Silence of the Hams (USA 1993) is a Hitchcock inspired parody which also figures in the Guinness Book of World Records. The film was the first for the director, the Italian comedian Ezio Greggio, and boasts the participation of seven superb directors-actors (eight with Ezio). The cast included amongst others Stuart Pankin and Bubba Smith. The longest slice of ham in the world is 106m and 38cm. The record (achieved in 1996) is held by Pietro Passeri, a talented delicatessen seller from Petrignano d'Assisi.