Читать книгу The New English Kitchen: Changing the Way You Shop, Cook and Eat - Rose Prince - Страница 154

Bacon is the most obvious example of British cured meat, with hams following closely behind. There’s a lot of dry-cured bacon about, but virtually no culture of dry-cured ham such as prosciutto at all. Every other European country has its dry-cured saucissons and salami; its charcuteries and salumerie – where are ours? The answer, as explained to me by a successful English butcher, is very interesting: ‘We are happy to make sausages and bacon; they’re quick to make and we sell them fast. But why would we want to put money on a shelf for six months?’ Because you would reap more from it if you waited – there’s a real passion for this stuff and we are importing tonnes of it.

The analogy brings Tabasco to mind. Its Louisiana originator, Henry McIlhenny, made the first batch, then forgot about it for a year. When he came back to it, the sauce had fermented slightly and developed a mellow, mature flavour, though it still had the heat of red chilli. It has been made in the same way ever since. Long maturation gives Tabasco its subtle taste. Pity the poor Caribbean sauce makers. They make superb hot sauces but, try as they might, they cannot make a similar sauce or a similar sum of money because they cannot afford the time for maturation. It’s an attitude to aged food shared by most British meat curers. We are slowly but surely reviving genuine mature Cheddar and making better wine. But, with few exceptions, British butchers will never see the point of the great starter plate of thinly sliced, dry-cured meats and sausages, with a little pile of vinegary cornichons beside.

Cured meats such as chorizo, bacon and ham hocks are very useful in the New English Kitchen. They can be served as instant meals or used to flavour stews. Take advantage of British-based charcuterie makers (see the Shopping Guide) – your spending power will see others jump on to the bandwagon.