Kimchi is Great on French Fries

[sudsmaster]

Oh, well, I left out a detail or two about the Southern tradition of burying hams.

Apparently a ham traditionally processed would bear the tracks of maggots on the surface. These were regarded, or so I'm told, as evidence of the traditional preservation methods. They are called "skippers". I guess because when carving the ham, one would "skip" over those portions.

Me, if I saw maggot holes in a ham sandwich, I'd not so gently set it down and excuse myself. But then I'm a Yankee born and bred.

 

[mikael3]

I never thought maggots could possibly come near a cured ham.  The salt is far too heavy.  But I looked this one up, and sure enough, there is a fly called the ‘ham skipper’ or ‘cheese skipper’, Piophila casei, that will attack cured meat.  Apparently, it actually likes the salt. 

 

I recall that smokehouses were considered to be bug-repellent, but apparently these horrid flies love the smoke. 

 

I also read that—as you say—burying the hams was a precautionary measure; but they were buried in sawdust or bran, intended to keep the meat very dry.  This was apparently done in large operations, not so much by individuals.  Burying them underground, even in a vessel, would likely only encourage the flies, because of the moisture.  

 

Starting the cure in cold weather (classic hog-killing time on a farm, but not for year-round commercial operations) is another precaution. 

 

The good new is that the flies apparently will not bother a fully dried ham; the danger is in the early weeks of the curing process.  This may be why I never heard of them.  Cold-weather curing and total desiccation were our standard procedures.

 

The larvae are called skippers, because they will skip up in the air if you disturb them.  Also, at least from what I read, evidence of skippers meant the whole ham was ruined, because they would be inside and not just on the surface.

 

I had no idea.  I wish my grandmother and her sister were still around so I could ask them what their experience was.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Kimchi on cheese

I bring slices of reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese to work. Last night, I decided to bring some bits of kimchi to go on top of the slices. Oh Wow! Was it good! It traveled very well in some plastic wrap (since it is not juicy) along with a toothpick for distribution.

 

[revvinkevin]

a pho noodle restaurant, it is a standard condiment

 

 

That's interesting Tom, because Kimchi is Korean and Pho is Vietnamese.    

 

All of the Pho restaurants I've been to in and around my area have a variety of chili sauce, paste and other spicy condiments, but I've never seen kimchi in a Pho restaurant out here in Southern Cal.

 

[vacerator]

Andrew Zimmern

did a show in Korea. The techniques are different than in Viet Nam for making spicy dishes, but there are similarities. Hot chili peppers and bean paste being one.
For the thinly sliced beef dishes, the Vietnamese finish it in the hot broth.
The Koreans marinate it then grill it tableside over a charcoal fired grill.
The Vietnamese restaurant here does not serve Kim Chi.