Ammerländer Ham is made in Germany, in the Ammerland region between the Weser and Ems Rivers in the state of Lower Saxony. To be called Ammerländer Ham, it must be produced in that region. The ham is dry salted, and cured for 12 weeks, then hung to dry for 2 weeks. Then it is smoked…
Protected Geographic Indication
Arbroath Smokies
Arbroath Smokies are Scottish hot smoked golden-brown haddock sold in pairs. They are a European PGI food product. The fish is dry outside; inside it is creamy-white, moist and flaky. It is slightly salty, with a mild fish and mild smoke taste. The smoky aroma is stronger than the actual taste of the smoke. Each…
Ardenne Ham
Ardenne Ham is not the same as Ardennes Dry Ham (“Jambon sec des Ardennes”), which is from France. Ardenne Ham is a salt-cured, air-dried ham made in Belgium, in the province of Luxembourg (sic.) Note that occasionally the product may be a wet-cured ham, but it will be done via a genuine wet-cure, not through…
Ardennes Dry Ham
Ardennes Dry Ham (“Jambon sec des Ardennes”) is a French ham. It is not the same as “Ardenne Ham” (“Jambon d’Ardenne”) which is from Belgium. The Ardennes area in Europe extends from south-western Belguim into a pocket of north-eastern France, forming a large circle with Chimay, Belgium at the north, and Orval, France in the…
Ascolane Olives
Ascolane Olives are grown on the olive tree called the “Ascolana Tenera”, which is native to the Marche area of Italy. The olives are very large, with an oil content of 16 to 18%. When pressed for oil, they produce a light oil. They are also used for green or black table olives. When used…
Balsamic Vinegar
Balsamic Vinegar is a sweetish, syrupy brown vinegar made in Italy made from grapes. There are three types of genuine Balsamic Vinegar: Tradizionale (“traditional”) balsamic vinegar of Modena, made in Modena (“Aceto Tradizionale di Modena”); Tradizionale (“traditional”) balsamic vinegar of Reggio Emilia, made in Reggio Emilia (Aceto Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia”); Balsamic vinegar of Modena…
Bresaola
Bresaola is lean, air-dried, salt-cured beef rubbed with spices. It is served in Italy as an antipasto sliced very thinly, so thin you can almost see through it (1 – 1.5 mm.) Bresaola is very moist, not leathery. It used to be much drier than it is now, but production techniques have changed to create…
Brillat-Savarin Cheese
Brillat-Savarin Cheese is a soft, white, triple-cream cheese that looks like brie but is much richer.
Camargue Red Rice
Camargue Red Rice is a browny-maroon coloured, short grain rice with an earthy, nutty flavour. It is grown in southern France in marshland on the coast between Marseille and Montpelier It is grown by the Griotto family. Since 2005, it has been run by three brothers: Serge, Philippe and Olivier. The rice is harvested with…
Castelluccio Lentils
Castelluccio Lentils are : Heritage lentils grown in the Italian Apennines. They are brownish-green lentils with thin skins. They are very small and light: 1,000 of these lentils weigh only 23 g (some estimates say 25 to 26 g.) The lentils are named after Castelluccio, Umbria in the Apennine mountains of Italy. The area is…
Cornish Pasties
Cornish Pasties © Denzil Green Cornish Pasties are hand-sized pouches of pastry with a savoury filling inside, with the default filling being a beef mixture. They are made in a half-moon shape (or “D” shape, if you will) 7 to 9 inches (18 to 23 cm) long, and crimpled around around the edge on one…
Cotechino
Cotechino is a fresh Italian pork sausage made in the Modena region of Italy. It is made from pork, fatback, and pork rind. The fatback — fat from under the pig skin — gives the sausage a gluey texture and stickiness. Most exact recipes are held secret by various makers, though some makers put some…
Edam Cheese
Edam Cheese © Denzil Green Edam Cheese is a semi-hard, pale yellow Dutch cheese with a mildly-tangy and slightly salty taste. Traditionally the cheese is made in a ball shape, but you may also spot it in squat rounds, or a loaf shape. It is a commercial cheese made in cheese factories. As of December…
Esrom Cheese
Esrom is a semi-firm Danish cheese made from partially skim raw cow’s milk. Starter and Rennet are added to the milk, then the curd is cut, stirred, drained and warmed. The cheese is place into moulds and lightly pressed. The surface is then salted and rubbed with a bacteria, then aged for 10 to 12…
Exmoor Blue Cheese
Exmoor is a creamy yellow farmhouse blue cheese made in different size rounds. It is made from unpasteurized Jersey cow’s milk. The milk is heated to 70 F (21 C), at which point the starter culture is added. The milk is then raised to a temperature of 85 to 90 F (29 to 32 C)…
Gailtaler Speck
Gailtaler Speck is an air-dried, fatty ham made in southern Austria. Essentially, it is lard, with large streaks of lean in it. The outside of the ham is a golden brown. The lean meat inside it comes out a brownish-red colour; the fat portions are white. It has a slightly spicy, smoky and salty taste….
Lamon Beans
Lamon Beans are a borlotto type bean. The bean pods grow on a pole-type bean plant, up 6 to 7 inches (15 to 18 cm) long per pod and the pods are mottled with red; inside, the beans have thin, white skins also with red mottling. Lamon Beans can be eaten as a shelling bean…
Limoncello
Limoncello is not a brand name, rather it is a generic name for a slightly sweet, lemon flavoured liqueur made in Italy on the Amalfi coast near Naples. Some brands are sweeter than others, some have a more bitter aftertaste. It is a popular summertime drink. Some people store it in the freezer to serve…
Melton Mowbray Pork Pies
A Melton Mowbray Pork Pie is a raised, cylinder-shaped pork pie. They are available in sizes from a few inches (5 cm) to several inches (several dm) tall. They are made in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, in what is called the “pork pie belt” of England. The pie filling is diced pork flavoured with sage, and…
Mortadella
Mortadella is a traditional sausage in Bologna, Italy used as a charcuterie meat. It comes already cooked, and has a pronounced taste. It is unsmoked and unfermented. It is pinkish and has a very smooth texture save for the visible chunks of lard mixed in. The sausage is made in four sizes: Small: .5 to…
Oliva all’Ascolana
Green or black Ascolane Olives are used to make this Italian olive dish. The olives are pitted, stuffed with a mixed meat and cheese mixture, rolled in egg and seasoned breadcrumbs, and deep fried. Nutmeg and cinnamon are often used as the seasoning for the breadcrumbs. The olives are served hot. They can also now…
Prosciutto di Norcia
Prosciutto di Norcia is a version of prosciutto made in the towns of Cascia, Monteleone di Spoleto, Norcia, Poggiodomo and Preci, in Perugia, Umbria, Italy. It is made as a pear-shaped joint of meat, and is pink to pinkish red. The finished product will weigh a minimum of 18 1/2 pounds (8 1/2 kg.) It…
Protected Geographic Indication
Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) is an EU designation that is very similar to its PDO designation. It was created by the same legislation. The difference between PGI and PDO is that whereas the PDO standard says the quality or characteristics of a given product are exclusively due to the particular area it is made in,…
Sfusato Lemons
Sfusato Lemons in Positano, Italy. 2005 © Leclaire & Schenk Sfusato Lemons are a variety of lemon grown in Italy on the Amalfi Coast. [1] These lemons are very large, and have a nipple (usually more politely called a “point”) at the end. The rind is a pale yellow. Inside, they are very tart and…