A true jambon à l'ancienne is made from the meat of pigs which have been raised in fresh air and fed on grains, covered with sel de Guérande for several weeks, rubbed with spices and then smoked in an Alpine hut. It is then dried for up to nine months.
A simple sandwich of baguette sliced and spread with butter and then filled wiith jambon blanc (unsmoked ham). The archetypal Parisan snack. Mickaël likes to have his with a beer!
"White ham." A ham cured with salt but either not smoked or lightly smoked. It is often sold boned and rolled and cooked, or is sold for cooking. This type of ham goes under many names.
Bayonne ham. This ham is dried for 4-6 months and is mildly smoked and cured with saltpetre, salt, sugar and seasoning, sometimes including red wine, in and around Bayonne in the Basque Country. It is eaten raw. If it is genuine it bears a label "Marquée deposée Jambon de Bayonne etiquette syndicale" and is generally provided on the bone.
"Country ham." Salt cured ham, smoked and usually eaten raw. It is a country style ham, the methods and quality of which differ from place to place. It goes by many names.
