months may convert a third or more of the
meat protein to flavor molecules. The
concentration of mouth-filling, meaty
glutamic acid rises ten- to twenty-fold, and as
in cheese, so much of the amino acid tyrosine
is freed that it may form small white crystals.
In addition, the unsaturated fats in pig muscle
break apart and react to form hundreds of
volatile compounds, some of them
characteristic of the aroma of melon (a
traditional and chemically fitting
accompaniment to ham!), apple, citrus,
flowers, freshly cut grass, and butter. Other
compounds react with the products of protein
breakdown to give nutty, caramel flavors
normally found only in cooked meats
(concentration compensates for the
subcooking temperature). In sum, the flavor
of dry-cured ham is astonishingly complex
and evocative.
Modern Wet-Cured Meats Salted meats