On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 343

themoffcleanwithaspongeandrubthem
withoil.Thenhangtheminsmokefortwo
days,andonthethirddayrubthemwitha
mixtureofvinegarandoil.
Thenhangtheminthemeathouse,and
neitherbatsnorwormswilltouchthem.
—Cato,OnAgriculture,50BCE
Bacon,todry:CuttheLegwithapieceof
theLoin(ofayoungHog)thenwith
Saltpeter,infinePouderandbrownSugar
mix’dtogether,rubitwelldailyfor2or3
days,afterwhichsaltitwell;sowillitlook
red:letitlyefor6or8Weeks,thenhangit
up(inadrying-place)todry.
—WilliamSalmon,TheFamily
Dictionary:Or,HouseholdCompanion,
London,1710
Nitrateandnitritecanreactwithother
foodcomponentstoformpossiblecancercausingnitrosamines.Thisrisknowappears
tobesmall(p.125).Nevertheless,residual
nitrateandnitriteincuredmeatsislimitedto


200partspermillion(0.02%)intheUnited
States,andisusuallywellbelowthislimit.
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,
whichgobackatleasttoclassicaltimes.The
modern versions, which include Italian

prosciutto di Parma, Spanish serrano, French
Bayonne,andAmericancountryhams,maybe
aged for a year or more. Though they can be
cooked,dry-curedhamsareattheirbestwhen
eaten in paper-thin raw slices. With their
vivid, rose-colored translucency, silken
texture,andaflavoratoncemeatyandfruity,
theyaretofreshporkwhatlong-agedcheeses
aretofreshmilk:adistillation,anexpression
of the transforming powers of salt, enzymes,
andtime.
The Effects of Salt In addition to protecting
hams from spoilage as they mature, salt