The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-03-14
HOW TO CURE n H.iM.
Process Used Two Thousand Years
Ago Described.
Kansas City Times.

Kansas City Times.
Now, if Mr.. NJ. p. Cato did live
some 1000 years and more ago. he
had an appetite not far different from
that OF any twentieth century states
man who got his first training back
of his fathers narrow -acred farm.
SO it is that Cato felt like writing
down something about how to cure
hams. Virginia farmer has trans
lated what Cato has to say on this
| subject in de Agriculture" This
is included in Roman Farm Manage
ment, which is published by Mac
millan's. After giving Catos instruc-
T, tions the translator goes the great
Roman one better with some sugges-
tions of his own. Here is what Cato
says:
This is the way to cure hams in
Jars or tubs: When you have bought
your hams trim off the hooks. Take
a half peck (semodius) Of ground
Roman salt for each ham. Cover the
bottom of the jar or tub with salt and
! put in ham, skin down. Cover the
whole with salt and put another ham
on top, and cover this in the same
manner. Be careful that meat does
not touch meat. So proceed, and
when you have packed all the hams
cover the top with salt so that no
meat can be seen, and smooth it
out even. When the hams have been
in salt five days take them out with
the salt and repack them, putting
those which were on top at the bot
tom. Cover them in the same way
with salt and press them down.
After the twelfth day remove the
hams finally, brush off the salt and
hang them for two days in the wind.
ON the third day wipe them off clean
with sponge and rub them with
Give oil. Then hang them in smoke
For two days and on the third day
rub them with u mixture OF olive oil
iiu
Then hang them in the meat
house, and neither bats nor worms
will touch them.''
There Cato drops the ham, but his
translator, who is supposed to be
Fairfax Harrison, recently elected
President Of the Southern Railway,
as successor to w. w. Finley. takes
1t up again and carries it on to the
table. Hating by the way, he has it
cooked, for, he says: "a ham, how
/ ever well cured, is of no use to civil
lied man until it is cooked" And
this is the way he would have it cook
ed, the way they do it in Virginia:
Soak overnight in cold water, hav-
ing first scrubbed the ham with
small brush to remove all the pepper,
salt-pepper, etc, left from the cur
ing process.
Put on to boil next morning in
tepid water. skin downward, letting it
simmer on back Of stove, never to
boil hard. This takes about four
hours Cor until it is done) when the
ham is supposed to turn over. skin
upward, Of its own accord, as it will
il the boiler is large enough.) Set
aside over another night in the wa
ter 1T has boiled in.
The following day skin and bake
IN the oven, having covered the ham
well with brown sugar, basting at in
ttrvals with cider. When it is we'll
baked take it out Of the oven and
haste another 10 to 20 minutes in the
Pan on top of the stove. The sugar
crust should be quite brown and crisp
when DONE"
Even if Cato was coarse and
vigorous old fighter it's likely he
would agree with this Virginia farm
er that Ito be thoroughly appreciat-
ed ham should be carved on the
table by a pretty woman. a thick
slice of ham is crime against good
breeding"