It is the beginning of ‘Days of Dalmatian Smoked Ham in Zagreb’, a smoked ham filled feast that will last until November 7.
During this first week of November, stores in Zagreb along with Dalmatian smoked ham manufactures will offer these delicacies at promotional prices. The shops will include Pivac, Voštane, Smjeli, Mataš and Bel-Cro trade.
The producers of the smoked ham are from all four Dalmatian counties and are associated in the Association of Dalmatian Smoked Ham, which this year celebrated 10 years of existence. As a crown of hard work, the associations received a special gift for their 10th birthday – in February of this year the smoked ham reached the protection of Geographical Indications at the EU level. This valuable label can be carried on only those hams produced in Dalmatia made with the exact specifications.
So what makes Dalmatian smoked ham so attractive and tasty? There are no added preservatives or additives, with the sole addition of sea salt. The ham is smoked in mild combustion in exceptional natural conditions and dried in the wind, giving the ham a specific scent and excellent taste. From the total of 300,000 pieces of ham produced in Croatia, 90% of it is Dalmatian.