Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-04-16
the Virginia Ham.

A eood friend OF ours, whose writings arc
always interesting whether no discourses
mon politics or culinary matters. OF the
r,oper formulas for making egg-nog or
mint uleps. under the signature OF
/. Medicus tells us in this issue now TO
cook ham,"
Next 10 knowing how to "catch I" ham
in rhsse days of feet-footed prices in the
meat market. we can think OF no more I'M
no,teut question. And it follows that the
=, ara precious tho ham becomes. the more
desirable it is 20 know precisely now 10
prepare it for the table.
IL ia bad enough TO see western nam
fall into the hands of careless or nope
lesslv-irrorant cook. but when fine old
Virginia ham is thus sacrificed 1t ~
enough to make the master OF the house
boil with rage.
Despite the celebrated porkopolises Of
the West the Virginia ham stands pre-emi-
nent TOR favor. There is nothing that
SURPRISES 1t.
Down in our peanut country the opinion
;s preyalent that this delicious flavor IS
acouired by the hog roofing IN the fields
from which the peanut crop has been but
lately harvested and where still remain
many nuts and tender roots, and 1t Is In
contestable that the ham of the peanut
section of Virginia is held In very high
esteem by epicures.
But the hams of other sections of Vir-
cinia are also valued highly. Those peo-
pie have no peanut fields in which to put
their hogs to root, but they have recipes
for curing hams which have been handed
down from father to son, and from mother
TO daughter, for many generations, and
they truly believe that it is these which
make their hams so welcome TO the palate
and so famous the country over.
The western ham too often comes from
a dist.llery-fed hog whereas the Virginia
ham comes from a porker who has had
woods and fields to wander In and Is,
sooth to say, an aristocratic landowner
rather than a penned up, slop-fed, low
born hog. If it be possible for hog to be
a gentleman. that is what the Virginia hog
IS. Certain it is that bis ham IL always
welcome in good society and is often to be
seen in the presence of bright men and
beautiful women.
Medicus" refrains from any such OBJ
servations as we have INDUCED in. lie
simply argues in favor Of ZErrELE's meth
cd of cooking q ham, and earnestly in
sists that the man or woman who fur
nishes his or her patrons with half-cooked
ham ought to be heavily fined. for it ope-
rates as poison to the system." Hence
he agrees with ZETELLE that ham OF
bacon ought TO be boiled half an hour for
every pound of it's weight" but Medi-
Gus" deplores tie fact that g. well-cook-
ed ham is rarely ever seen in the restau.
rants and other public houses OF this city,
And truly this is O reflection upon Vir-
ginia's capital.
Since to Virginia is now denied the pri
vIlege of furnishing Presidents Of the
United States and Cabinet officers and
ministers to foreign courts, we must hold
with more tenacious grip than ever tc
mr. ham business. And it is the DIS
PATcHs province not only to laud the Viz
e1nla ham, but to send out receipt fol
cooking it SO that it may be presented &c
the household with its delicious flavor un
impaired. The first thing to do is to buy
or beg your ham and the next thing is &c
cook it thoroughly.