As the UK food industry faces supply problems and other consequences from Brexit, its gastronomy increasingly wants to claim its own products. Although its cheeses do enjoy notable recognition, the newest british delicatessen is a great unknown. Competing against European specialties is not an easy task, especially if the product is not up to par with its continental counterparts.
The Spanish and Italian cured meats are one of the most prestigious products all over the world, and in the British market they are also highly demanded products, especially among more popular consumers. gourmet. Names such as Iberian ham, prosciutto, salami or bresaola are more than known among the British who have become almost a warranty mark that they usually sell in specialized or import stores.
Faced with this fame, British sausages have a difficult time, whose production has been much more recent and on a smaller scale, also imitating mostly Europeans. The United Kingdom does not have a tradition of charcuterie by pure logic, since the extremely humid climate it is not the most conducive to healing; it is now when they have the means to do so.
In order to analyze the quality of the national delicatessen, the gastronomic journalist Xanthe Clay organized a blind tasting of various sausages pitting them squarely against their continental counterparts. The jury, made up of experts in charcuterie and cured meats with experience in the European market, had to determine if british sausage deserves a chance against the prestige of the foreign product.
A tasting with surprises, but nobody beats the ham
The judge blindly tasted and valued a selection of the most well-known cured meats from Spain and Italy: Iberian bait ham, coppa Italian, cured loin, pancetta, salami spicy and acorn sausage. An equivalent pair of British production was selected for each product, as similar as possible to the original, both in qualities and in price.
The funny thing is that the jury determined how winner to british sausage in three of the battles, beating the Italians in the categories of pancetta and salami, and also to our loin from Teruel, which the jury deemed “too dry.” The coppa, the only winner of the Italian side, won by very little, as it seems that the British imitation of Yorkshire has managed to get very close to the original.
The one who has no rival is Iberian ham, in this case a 75% Field Bait, for sale in the United Kingdom for 300 pounds (about 352 euros) a piece. The “slightly rusty” taste of Sussex ham, from Hungarian pigs, had no chance against the fragrant and flavorful Iberian. “A walk for the Spanish”.
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