Extra care must be taken with food during pregnancy. Some products should not be eaten due to dangers to the unborn child. An example of this is raw meat, which also includes raw ham. However, raw ham has also undergone a number of other processes. This makes raw ham appear to be a lot less dangerous than is often thought.
Ham
Ham, also called ham in Belgium, is meat from the hind leg of a pig. There are many types of ham, which often come from a specific area. Some of these species are also protected, such as Parma ham and Ardennes ham. Ham is eaten all over the world. It is eaten as a sandwich spread, in thin slices with drinks, slices or cubes mixed with a dish or roasted in thick slices for a hot meal. In the first two cases the ham will be eaten cold without further processing, while in the last two cases the ham is first heated. This is important for food safety in pregnant women because heating meat is sufficient to kill the toxoplasma that is dangerous to them. But what about if they eat the ham cold?
Preparation
Different types of ham differ in preservation techniques. There are varieties that are salted or smoked. As a result, ham has different preparation methods.
Dry salted ham
Salt is used as a drying agent for cured hams. With salted ham, the meat is first thoroughly cleaned after which the meat is placed in the salt for a longer period of time. The action time of the salt depends on the type of ham. For Parma ham, for example, this is one month. The salt is slowly pressed into the meat, causing the blood to leave the ham. The hams are then washed and hung in a dark, temperature-controlled place until dry. The ham is then dried in the air for some time. The duration here also depends on the type of ham. Usually, hams that have been aged for a long time are also more expensive. Nowadays nitrite is also added to the salt. This produces redder meat and a different taste. Nitrite also prevents bacterial growth. Examples of cured ham types are Parma ham, Serrano ham, Iberian ham and Tuscan ham.
Pickled ham
During brining, the meat is immersed in a brine bath. Sometimes other ingredients such as sugar are added for flavor. This brine bath lasts approximately three to fourteen days. After the brine bath, the weight has usually increased by four percent. Cooking can be accelerated by injecting the brine into the meat. The advantages of these methods are that it is faster, the salt is better distributed and the weight gain is greater. After brining, the ham is dried. Examples of pickled ham types are Ardennes ham.
Smoked ham
Smoked ham is cold smoked after salting and drying. This gives the ham a specific taste. Both dry-cured ham and pickled ham can be smoked.
Ham during pregnancy
As the name suggests, raw ham is not cooked and is therefore often linked to toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis can be dangerous for the baby during pregnancy. The baby may develop abnormalities in his nervous system or eyes. Pork often appears to be contaminated, but the contamination can no longer be harmful by freezing for two days at -20°C, heating above 70°C, drying, salt concentrations higher than 1.1% or by gamma radiation. Because raw ham is always pickled and dried, it cannot be contaminated with toxoplasma. Raw ham can therefore be eaten by pregnant women.
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