Vendée ham

Jambon de Vendée

What it is

The Vendée is too damp for a long open-air cure, so its hams are boned, rubbed with eau-de-vie and a crust of herbs, and pressed between boards. That brings the making down to two or three months where most raw hams need six to nine.

In the kitchen

Cut it thick, three or four millimetres. Shaved to a veil like a serrano, the pale soft flesh collapses and all that is left is the herb crust.

Goes with

Butter Cornichon Mogette de Vendée Parsley Shallot Cantaloupe melon Thyme Bay leaf

Same species

Bayonne ham

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