2007年VOA标准英语-Small American Town Calls Itself World's Ham Ca

By Liu Enming
Smithfield, Virginia
11 June 2007
 

Genuine Smithfield hams have graced dinner tables in the U.S. since nearly the settlement of the nation itself. VOA's Liu Enming recently traveled to the self-proclaimed "Ham Capital of the World," Smithfield, a quaint¹ town of 6500 residents in the eastern state of Virginia and traces the history and the art of making the famous Smithfield ham. Jim Bertel narrates².

Virginia ham is known for its superb taste and is a popular dish at Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners in the U.S. 

Larry Santure, Director of Sales at Smithfield Foods, tells the story of Virginia ham. "The history of Virginia ham is very unique and very interesting. Marco Polo actually brought the basis of curing the Virginia ham to Italy from China, and they thought about how they could make the ham in Italy, and this turned out to be the prosciutto. The settlers brought the formula for making prosciutto with them to the United States."

Smithfield was one of the earliest towns colonized³ near Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America. Santure says the area's ham tradition owes much to the Native Americans living there.

Santure continues, "The Indians have devices and methods of taking sea water from the oceans not far from here and dehydrating it and producing salt, which is critical to making cured hams."

Many consider genuine Smithfield ham the crown jewel of Virginia hams because of the meticulous⁴ way it is made.

"We get the hams for processing within one to two days after the slaughter⁵ of the animal. So the meat is fresh,” says Santure. We take the salt mixture, rub it into the meat, into the muscle. And we fully⁶ cover it. Then we stack it so that the face of the ham is out, so the moisture can come out."

Smithfield ham is salt cured for at least 50 days at three degrees Celsius⁷. The next step is for the ham to be heated and smoked using hickory and fruitwood, a technique dating back more than 200 years.

"It allows the concentration to equalize throughout the muscle and the whole ham. Then we go through a process of heating the ham. In this particular area, we use a smoke. That's a time-honored way that we acquired actually from the Indians long, long ago."

Salted ham is also cooled and smoked

Smithfield ham is salted, cooled and smoked. The entire dry-cure process takes at least 180 days before the distinctively⁸ delicious ham makes its way to dinner tables. Judy Winslow, Director of Tourism for Smithfield and Isle⁹ of Wight County, says anytime is the right time for a Smithfield ham.

"We do not have a special occasion or probably any occasion in town that Smithfield ham is not served,” says Winslow. “Certainly when anyone has guests in from out of town, it's always on the table."

1 quaint   

adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的

参考例句：

• There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里，有很多小巷。
• They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。

2 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

3 colonized   

开拓殖民地，移民于殖民地( colonize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The area was colonized by the Vikings. 这一地区曾沦为维京人的殖民地。
• The British and French colonized the Americas. 英国人和法国人共同在美洲建立殖民地。

4 meticulous   

adj.极其仔细的，一丝不苟的

参考例句：

• We'll have to handle the matter with meticulous care.这事一点不能含糊。
• She is meticulous in her presentation of facts.她介绍事实十分详细。

5 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

8 distinctively   

adv.特殊地，区别地

参考例句：

• "Public risks" is a recent term for distinctively high-tech hazards. “公共风险”是个特殊的高技术危害个人的一个最新术语。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• His language was natural, unaffected, distinctively vivid, humorous and strongly charming. 语言既朴实无华，又鲜明生动，幽默而富有艺术魅力。

9 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。