August 30, 2004

Food & History

Hog wild about ham

Jeff Cheek

Ham is so important that it earns two entries in the dictionary. Ham 1 is "A cut of meat from a hog's hind quarter, between hip and hock." Ham 2 defines it as "A performer who overacts." What is the connection between these two definitions?

The slang word "ham" comes from the 19th Century, when minstrel shows were a standard part of popular entertainment. White performers blackened their faces with soot before going on stage. They tended to overact, or "ham it up." Since they used ham fat to remove the makeup, they were classified as "hams."

Real ham is a delicious cut of meat which has been cured or smoked. There are many varieties, like Danish ham, Polish ham or York ham from England, but the people of Virginia boast that the best ham in the world is from Smithfield, Va.

At least one world leader agreed with them. Queen Victoria, who ruled Great Britain from 1837 to 1901, had a standing order for six Smithfield hams per week for her table.

Smithfield hams have a distinguished lineage. The area was exporting hams and bacon to England as early at 1639, although the town was not founded until 1752. The name comes from London's Smithfield Livestock Market.

As their hams won an international reputation, other cities tried to cash in with imitation Smithfield hams. In 1926, the General Assembly of the State of Virginia enacted a law to protect their major export. "Genuine Smithfield hams are those cut from carcasses of peanut-fed hogs, raised in the peanut-belt of the State of Virginia or North Carolina, and are cured, treated, smoked and processed in the town of Smithfield, in the State of Virginia."

Smithfield Foods is a major employer and a Fortune 500 company. Residents call their hometown "Ham City" and the water tower is decorated with a mouth-watering baked ham. In 2002, Smithfield celebrated its 250th birthday. To mark the occasion, the city baked a 12-inch-high, 2,200-pound ham bisket. It contained 500 pounds of sliced ham. This gigantic ham bisket earned Smithfield an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Considering the importance of ham to the city, it is hard to imagine that a battle is raging about the future of Smithfield. The historical society points out that the town has scores of Colonial homes which present a better image than Ham Town. These houses should be the major focus in attracting tourists.

The tourist bureau disagrees. Their newsletter features a dancing pig in a polka dot bathing suit on its letterhead. They proposed scattering a dozen or so artsy swine statues around the city to encourage tourism. Their proposal went to the city council in June. The council took one look at a sketch of a coquettish, dancing pig and rejected the petition. Smithfield is still Ham Town, but without dancing pigs.

These Honeydew-ham canapes are popular in Spain:

Ingredients

• 1 ripe but firm honeydew melon
• 4 or 5 slices thin cut ham

Preparation

Peel melon, cut into inch square chunks. Slice ham into similarly sized pieces. Skewer one piece of each on toothpick, chill and serve.