Black Forest ham

Black Forest ham or Schwarzwälder Schinken in German, is a variety of dry-cured smoked ham, produced in the Black Forest region of Germany. Ham is the thigh and rump from the haunch of a pig or boar.

Black Forest ham is the best-selling smoked ham in Europe. In 1959, Hans Adler from Bonndorf pioneered manufacturing and selling Original Black Forest ham by retail and mail order. Since 1997, the term "Black Forest ham" is a Protected Designation of Origin in the European Union, which means that any product sold in the EU as "Black Forest ham" must come from the Black Forest region in Germany. However, this appellation is not recognized in non-EU countries, particularly in United States and Canada, where various commercially produced hams of varying degrees of quality are marketed and sold as "Black Forest ham".

Preparation

The production of Black Forest ham can take up to three months. Raw ham is salted and seasoned with garlic, coriander, pepper, juniper berries and other spices. After curing for two weeks, the salt is removed and the ham cures for another two weeks. Then the ham is cold-smoked at a temperature of not more than 25°C (77°F) for several weeks, during which time the original Black Forest ham becomes almost black on the outside. The smoke is created by burning sawdust and fir or juniper brush. This smoking process gives the ham much of its rich flavor. After smoking, the ham is air-dried for at least two weeks before it is sold.

Black Forest

The Black Forest (German: Schwarzwald, pronounced [ˈʃvaʁt͡svalt]) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany. It is bounded by the Rhine valley to the west and south. Its highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). The region is almost rectangular in shape with a length of 160 km (99 mi) and breadth of up to 60 km (37 mi).

Geography

The Black Forest stretches from the High Rhine in the south to the Kraichgau in the north. In the west it is bounded by the Upper Rhine Plain (which, from a natural region perspective, also includes the low chain of foothills); in the east it transitions to the Gäu, Baar and hill country west of the Klettgau. The Black Forest is the highest part of the South German Scarplands and much of it is densely wooded. It is composed of rocks of the crystalline basement and Bunter Sandstone and its natural boundary with the surrounding landscapes is formed by the emergence of muschelkalk, which is absent from the Black Forest bedrock. Thanks to the fertility of the soil which is dependent on the underlying rock, this line is both a vegetation boundary as well as the border between the Altsiedelland ("old settlement land") and the Black Forest, which was not permanently settled until the High Middle Ages. From north to south the Black Forest extends for over 150 kilometres, attaining a width of up to 50 kilometres in the south, and up to 30 kilometres in the north.Tectonically the range forms a lifted fault block, which rises prominently in the west from the Upper Rhine Plain, whilst seen from the east it has the appearance of a heavily forested plateau.

Cocktail

When used to refer to any generic alcoholic mixed drink, cocktail may mean any beverage that contains three or more ingredients if at least two of them contain alcohol.

Usage and related terms

When a mixed drink contains only a distilled spirit and a mixer, such as soda or fruit juice, it is a highball; many of the International Bartenders Association Official Cocktails are highballs. When a cocktail contains only a distilled spirit and a liqueur, it is a duo and when it adds a mixer, it is a trio. Additional ingredients may be sugar, honey, milk, cream, and various herbs.

Etymology

The origin of the word cocktail is disputed.

The first recorded use of cocktail not referring to a horse is found in The Morning Post and Gazetteer in London, England, March 20, 1798:

Mr. Pitt,
two petit vers of “L’huile de Venus”
Ditto, one of “perfeit amour”
Ditto, “cock-tail” (vulgarly called ginger)

The Oxford English Dictionary cites the word as originating in the U.S. The first recorded use of cocktail as a beverage (possibly non-alcoholic) in the United States appears in The Farmer's Cabinet, April 28, 1803:

Black Forest (2010 film)

Black Forest is a German film from 2010, in the Black Forest plays. The Thriller [1] came on 15 April 2010 in German cinemas.

Plot

Two couples from a large city go on vacation to an isolated farmhouse in the Black Forest. The men discover an old TV and try to repair it, to watch football games. This is not successful. However, one after the other sees things on the TV screen, related to the other's life. One finds the driver, who drove the group at the beginning of the film to the house, before the agreed pick up. He sees three corpses. Only Eva survived and was able to escape to the village. Also seen on the ghostly TV is the spirit of a child named Anne Marie, who had died some years ago on the farm.

Background

The film was mostly shot on the Wunderlehof near Hinterzarten in Breisgau-Black Forest. The final scene was filmed at Breitnau. The wooden masks, which can be seen several times in the movie, are worn during the Swabian-Alemannic carnival from Carnival Association Forest witches in Rudenberg, a suburb of Titisee-Neustadt. The television station TV southern Baden broadcasts are seen from the TV several times. Actor Hans-Joachim Weiser usually plays in the Alemannic stage in Freiburg. Principal photography was completed in September 2007.