Description
The Jambon Sec and Noix de Jambon Sec des Ardennes PGI are hams products that are ripened with salt, obtained from fresh pork legs. The Noix de Jambon Sec des Ardennes PGI is constituted of muscles that are joined by the natural attachments, forming a single piece. The Jambon Sec des Ardennes can be on the bone (avec os) or boned (sans os). The first has a rounded cut of the pork rind, and the Noix de Jambon Sec makes up approximately 50% of its composition, while in the second, it makes up approximately 63-64% of its composition.
Production Area
The production area of Jambon Sec and Noix de Jambon Sec des Ardennes PGI is limited to the department of the Ardennes, in the Champagne-Ardenne region.
Production Method
The pigs selected for the production are born, bred and slaughtered in the Ardennes. During the fattening period, their nutrition includes at least 75% of cereals. Before they are treated with salt through manual friction, both the Jambon and the Noix de Jambon have to satisfy some qualitative characteristics. The duration of the processing, starting from the salting, ranges from at least 45 days for the noix pâtissières that weighs 800 gr, to at least 120 days for the grosses noix that weighs 3.5 kg on the bone and 3 kg boned, up to at least 270 days for hams that weigh 6 kg on the bone.
Appearance and Flavour
The Jambon Sec and Noix de Jambon Sec des Ardennes PGI distinguish themselves through their appearance and the dry texture with a salty, smoked and spicy taste, and an intense and characteristic fragrance, that tends towards smoked aromatic. The shape of the Noix de Jambon is perfectly defined by the muscles it is composed of.
History
The Jambon Sec and Noix de Jambon Sec des Ardennes PGI are part of an old tradition regarding pig breeding for home consumption, practiced from time immemorial in all Ardennes farms. This is how the salting procedure spread out in ancient times, becoming a rooted tradition in the territory where the Jambon sec des Ardennes was born. In 1885 the Confrérie du Jambon sec d'Ardennes emerged, which expanded the fame of these products.
Gastronomy
The Jambon Sec and Noix de Jambon Sec des Ardennes PGI should be kept in a cool and dry place, and once opened, in the refrigerator, making sure the cut part is protected with waxed paper, Clingfilm or aluminium foil. The raw ham is widely used in restaurants, as garnish on canapés, mini sandwiches and kebabs, and is also used as filling for brioche rolls and rye bread. It is the basis for mixed sausage plates, is used for the preparation of salads, such as that with hand-torn pieces of raw ham. It can also be served with roasted meat and, in the rural cuisine; it is used to enrich country omelettes. The bone of the raw ham is put to boil in traditional vegetable soups, such as the famous Garbure Pyrénéenne, or in the cabbage soup Auvergnate, lending them a unique flavour.
Marketing
The product is sold as Jambon Sec and Noix de Jambon Sec des Ardennes PGI. The Noix is available in three variants: the Noix pâtissière, the Noix and the Sous-Noix , which together make up the grosse Noix . It is sold whole, on the bone or boned, halved, quartered, sliced or pre-packaged.
Distinctive Features
The Jambon Sec and Noix de Jambon Sec des Ardennes PGI hams have unique quality characteristics, which stem from the use of quality fresh pork, manual salting and the addition of spices and aromas. Furthermore, the humid climate of the Ardennes enables a slow drying and ripening process. Yet, the smoked touch is the main typicality responsible for its originality.
