Ham hock

A ham hock (or hough) or pork knuckle is the joint between the tibia/fibula and the metatarsals of the foot, where the foot was attached to the hog's leg. It is the portion of the leg that is neither part of the ham proper nor the foot or ankle, but rather the extreme shank end of the leg bone.

Uses

Since this piece generally consists of much skin, tendons and ligaments, it requires long cooking through stewing or braising to be made palatable. The cut of meat can be cooked with greens and other vegetables or in flavourful sauces. It is often added to soups, such as pea and ham soup, with the meat being added to the soup prior to serving. The meat of particularly meaty hocks may be removed and served as is. Ham hocks, like hog jowls (pigs' cheeks), add a distinctive flavor to various dishes. This is particularly true for collard greens, mustard greens, cabbage, green beans and navy beans.

Ham hocks are essential ingredients for the distinct flavor in soul food and other forms of American Southern country cooking. In the Mid-Atlantic States, in rural regions settled by the Pennsylvania Dutch, hocks are a commonly used ingredient for making a kind of meat loaf called scrapple. Eisbein is the name of the joint in north German, and at the same time the name of a dish of roasted ham hock, called Schweinshaxe in Bavaria, Stelze in Austria and Wädli in Switzerland. Golonka is a very popular Polish barbecued dish using this cut. Ham hocks are also popular when boiled with escarole, more commonly called endives, in Italian-American cuisine. Fläsklägg med rotmos is a Swedish dish consisting of cured ham hocks and a mash of rutabaga and potatoes, served with sweet mustard.

Ham

Ham is pork that has been preserved through salting, smoking, or wet curing. It was traditionally made only from the hind leg of swine, and referred to that specific cut of pork. Ham is made around the world, including a number of highly coveted regional specialties, such as Westphalian ham and Jamón serrano. Technically a processed meat, "ham" may refer to a product which has been through mechanical re-forming.

The precise nature of meat termed "ham" is controlled in a number of areas, often by statute, including the United States and European Union. In addition, numerous ham products have specific geographical naming protection, such as Prosciutto di Parma and Prosciutto Toscano PDO in Europe, and Smithfield ham in the US.

Definition

The preserving of pork leg as ham has a long history, with Cato the Elder writing about the "salting of hams" in his De Agri Cultura tome around 160 BC.

There are claims that the Chinese were the first people to mention the production of cured ham, whilst Larousse Gastronomique claims an origin from Gaul, but it was certainly well established by the Roman period, including an import trade from Gaul mentioned by Marcus Terentius Varro in his writings.

Hamé

Mohamed Bourokba, aka Hamé (born 1975, Perpignan, France) is a French filmmaker and rapper.

Early life

Bourokba was the fifth in a family of six children, from two different mothers. The family settled in France during the 1950s. His Algerian father, who could neither read nor write, spent his life working as a farm labourer. After the death of his wife in the early 1970s, he remarried quickly for the sake of his three daughters. His new wife, Hamé's mother, was twenty years younger than he was. She also came from Algeria. She became a housekeeper and learned to read and write.

Film

Wanting to surround himself with images, Hamé studied cinema at the Sorbonne. Rap played a big part in his life; he collaborated with the group La Rumeur, making several videos for the group. After obtaining his master's degree in film and literature, Hamé was awarded a scholarship. He spent a year at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

After creating five short films, Hamé returned to France. He wanted to write and direct films dealing with those subjects that were of greatest importance to him. "Je ne suis pas le gardien de mon frère" ("I am not my brother's keeper"), his first short film, received the support of CNC and French TV channel Arte, and addresses the subject of post-colonial immigration. Canal Plus signed him to write a hip hop musical about integrity and temptation. He has also written a feature film, Faux, the story of an impostor, which he hoped to shoot in 2012. Hamé was also working on writing a novel to be published by Les Editions du Seuil.

HAM (band)

HAM is an Icelandic rock band which was active in the years 1988 to 1994. They are often listed as a heavy metal band but have never categorized themselves as such. They did not attain significant popularity while active, but have gradually come to be acknowledged as an important part of Icelandic rock history. Today they command a cult following among many Icelandic rock enthusiasts.

History

HAM's first album was Hold, a controversial record which received no radio airtime. The band's attempt to get into the big league began when they warmed up for The Sugarcubes in five concerts in 1988. The following year they released the album Buffalo Virgin with One Little Indian records and held several concerts in New York. The album Pleasing the Pirahna was recorded in 1990 but was never released—supposedly another album by the name Pimpmobile was also recorded but remains unreleased.

In 1991-1992, the band participated in the making of the film Sódóma Reykjavík, with singer and guitarist Sigurjón Kjartansson writing most of the soundtrack. HAM's participation in the making of this cult Icelandic classic played a significant part in the band's later notoriety.