What It Is

• Chinese ham is produced using a centuries-old process that includes salting the meat, hanging it to dry and allowing it to ripen for several months. The result is a dry shelf-stable meat product with a deep, rich ham flavor. Valued for this characteristic flavor, it is used primarily as a flavoring and garnish, not as a main dish. Chinese hams retain their best quality for 2 or 3 years, but have been to known to remain edible for more than 5 years.

Where It Comes From

• Salted and cured pork products are made in nearly all areas of China, but the most desirable come from the provinces of Jinhua, Yunnan and Zhejiang. Among Chinese cooks, Jinhua ham produced in the winter months is considered to be the best of these. The area's cold dry winters and hot sunny summers contribute to successul drying and ripening of hams. A breed of pig indigenous to Jinhua, white in the middle and black on the front and back, has muscular and meaty back legs with only a thin layer of fat, desired qualities for making pork into ham. Particular care is taken in selecting perfect pork legs, and those with broken bones are rejected. Any exposed parts of bone in a selected leg are removed, as are the muscle sheath covering the meat, tendons and fat.

Where It Is Available

• Authentic Chinese ham cannot be imported into the United States because it does not meet stringent Department of Agriculture requirements for temperature regulation and meat inspection. The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization is working with Chinese producers to develop standards and procedures for Jinhua ham that will make it more acceptable to international food regulators. In the U.S., Smithfield hams from Virginia and prosciutto, similar dry-cured pork products, are used as substitutes.

How to Use It

• Jinhua and similar Chinese ham is used to flavor winter melon soup, a traditional wintertime dish. Winter melon, actually a large gourd with a smooth green skin, is pared, cut into cubes, simmered in a seasoned chicken stock until it is translucent and garnished with pieces of Chinese ham. The ravioli-type dumplings in wonton soup can be stuffed with a mixture of ham and other meats, while the broth portion may contain both pork and chicken stock. You can make your own perfectly legal versions of these and other dishes by using pieces of Virginia ham.