Question from Amy.....
What is the difference between black forest ham, Virginia ham and tavern ham? I've tasted all of them and they taste the same. So is there really any difference in their preparation? Curious.
Technically,
Black Forest Ham is
supposed to be a smoked ham from the Black Forest of Germany. It was rubbed with spices, covered with beef blood and then smoked over a
fir wood.
Virginia Ham was from the Commonwealth of Virginia...honey coated and dry cured.
Tavern Ham was typically, well...a ham that each tavern or small roadhouse would smoke in their backyard, most times using just hickory wood.
HOWEVER, in this day and age of modernization, your deli provision companies, i.e. BoarsHead, Thumann's, Dietz & Watson, etc, etc, just use a plain old boneless brine cured ham and apply different glazes to the outside. So, yes, they will all taste the same on the inside.
Some of your supermarket chains will also provide variations to the different hams. For example, a few years ago in the Winn-Dixie deli's, they would take an 11 pound canned Danish boiled ham, score the top, stud it with cloves, drop it in the deep fryer for about 10 minutes and sell it as "Virginia" Ham for $7.99 a pound
There are some subtle differences in some of the hams, like the water % and curing methods, but for all intents and purposes.....a deli style ham is a deli style ham. Cheaper priced hams will typically have more water added to them. Also, less flavor.
