200 parts per million (0.02%) in the United
States, and is usually well below this limit.
Sublime Hams The many months that salted
meats keep turned out to transform pig flesh
into some of the great foods of the world!
First among them are the dry-cured hams,
which go back at least to classical times. The
modern versions, which include Italian
prosciutto di Parma, Spanish serrano, French
Bayonne, and American country hams, may be
aged for a year or more. Though they can be
cooked, dry-cured hams are at their best when
eaten in paper-thin raw slices. With their
vivid, rose-colored translucency, silken
texture, and a flavor at once meaty and fruity,
they are to fresh pork what long-aged cheeses
are to fresh milk: a distillation, an expression
of the transforming powers of salt, enzymes,
and time.
The Effects of Salt In addition to protecting
hams from spoilage as they mature, salt