中外火腿製作技藝 ：什麼豬的大腿最適合？
在古代，由於沒有冰箱等製冷設備，食物容易腐爛變質。通過腌制、晾曬、風乾，成為食物儲存保鮮的一種原始手段。火腿，就是這一風乾發酵而沉澱出來的美味。
In ancient times, food was easy to rot due to the lack of refrigeration facilities such as refrigerator. Processes like pickling, drying and air-drying have become original means for keeping food from getting spoiled. Ham is one delicious food created by air-dried fermentation.
在中國以金華火腿最為熟知，然而這種美食並不是中國所獨有。將目光投向西班牙窖藏室裏誘人的火腿正在等待世人的品鑒。中國的金華火腿和西班牙火腿雖説在製作上異曲同工，但是在風味上卻各有韆鞦。來看看到底哪一種火腿會讓你口齒生津？
While Jinhua ham is the best-known ham variety in China, this delicacy is not unique to the country. Turn to Spain, and one can find the enticing hams in the cellars awaiting the world’s taste buds. Although China’s Jinhua ham and Spanish ham are similar in production, they are different in flavor. Let’s see which ham makes your mouth water.
中國金華火腿製作起源於唐代，2008年被列入中國國家級非物質文化遺産名錄。其選用金華“兩頭烏”品種的豬，營養價值也要比普通豬高得多，兩頭烏的後腿肥大、肉脂細嫩品質好，是製作金華火腿的上佳原料。
The production of China’s Jinhua ham originated in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and was included in the country’s national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. It chooses a unique pig variety in Jinhua known as “Two Black Ends,” which boasts much higher nutritional value than ordinary pigs. The hind legs of the pig variety are fleshy with tender and high-quality meat, which make the best raw material for producing Jinhua ham.
西班牙火腿的製作至今也有一千多年的歷史。伊比利亞火腿作為頂級西班牙火腿，嚴格採用血統極為純正的伊比利亞黑豬。黑豬限定放養在橡樹豐茂的原始森林中，平均每頭豬散養面積相當於一個足球場大。橡果也就成了黑豬主要的食物之一，做成火腿有堅果的味道。
Spanish ham enjoys a production history of over a thousand years. Iberian ham, as a top-level Spanish ham, strictly uses a very pure variety of Iberian black pigs as raw material. These black pigs are confined to the primeval forest with abundant oak trees, with an average area per pig as large as a football field. Acorns have become one of the main foods of the black pigs, making the ham take a nutty taste.
金華火腿的製作一般在當年11月至次年2月間進行，冬至過後到春節前這段時間做的就叫“正冬腿”，冬至過後，氣溫下降到零度左右，是露天“晾曬”火腿的最佳時間。經過上鹽、洗曬、室內風乾等，整個流程至少要12個月左右，經冬歷夏製成傳統金華火腿。
Jinhua ham is usually made between November and February of the next year. The ham made between the winter solstice and the Spring Festival is called the “ripe winter leg.” After the winter solstice, the temperature drops to around zero, which is the best time to dry ham in the open air. After salting, washing, indoor air-drying and a string of other processes that last at least 12 months in total, the traditional Jinhua ham comes into being after the tempering of time.
伊比利亞火腿，一般也多選擇在冬季宰殺製作。有所不同的是，伊比利亞火腿沒有露天晾曬，而是在1-4度的恒溫恒濕室中經過腌制、晾曬、風乾，最後在15-25度的地窖內熟成，整個流程至少需要24個月。製成的火腿油花豐富，擁有透明的質感，大理石般的花紋。
For Iberian ham, winter is also usually the time for pig slaughtering and ham production. The difference is that Iberian ham is not dried in the open air. Instead, it is cured, dried and air-dried in a room with constant humidity and temperature of 1-4 degrees Celsius, and finally matured in a cellar of 15-25 degrees Celsius. The whole process takes at least 24 months. The ham is rich in oil, with a transparent texture and marble-like pattern.
這兩種火腿經過時間的發酵而愈久彌香，陳化的火腿味道更好，一般3到4年的火腿味道更加濃郁。火腿就如同醬香白酒一樣，年份越久越香。
The longer these two kinds of hams are fermented, the better they taste. The aged hams taste especially good. Generally, hams aged 3 to 4 years have a tastier and stronger flavor. Ham is just like Maotai-flavor liquor: the longer it is stored, the more flavory it gets.
千年的歷史傳承和不同的文化背景造就了不同地域的飲食方式及民俗文化。
Inheritance over a thousand years and different cultural backgrounds have created diverse ways of eating and folk culture in different regions.
金華火腿更適合入菜熟吃，因為味道偏鹹稍硬並且紅肉很多，發酵過程中分解出了豐富的氨基酸，煲湯時放一些，連鹽都不用加，營養價值更是豐富。“佛跳墻”、“蜜汁火方”......都是用金華火腿做出來的名菜。
Jinhua ham is more suitable for cooked dishes, as it’s salty and hard in texture with a lot of red meat. During the fermentation process, rich amino acids are decomposed. Adding some ham to the soup will spare the need to put in salt, and generate more nutritional value. Fotiaoqiang, a thick soup made with varieties of seafood and meat, and sweet square ham are among the famous Chinese dishes made with Jinhua ham.
而伊比利亞火腿不是很鹹，更適合生吃，一般由專業切片師片出脂肪分佈均勻的薄片，搭配水果、紅酒供人細細品嘗。其香氣濃郁，口感細膩充滿脂香，入口即化。
Iberian ham, on the other hand, is not very salty and is better eaten raw. It is usually sliced by a professional slicer into thin layers with evenly distributed fat, and served with fruit and wine for a leisurely taste. It boasts strong aroma, fine taste and rich fat flavor, and is so delicate that it feels like melting in your mouth.
不同的氣候環境和生活習性，這“兩條腿”都凸顯了自己的本土風味，隨著貿易的往來走出國門來到了世界各國，飲食文化沒有高低之分，就由各位食客自己選擇啦！
Due to different climates and living habits, the two ham varieties are endowed with their unique local flavor. With the trade exchanges, they have ventured abroad and made onto the dining tables across the world. It makes little sense to compare food cultures, as the diners have the final say!
