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Best European Cured Mutton Types
Fenalår fra Norge is a smoked leg of mutton traditionally produced in Norway and believed to have been around since the Viking era. The meat comes from lambs living in the mountains of Norway that are slaughtered in autumn. The meat is salted and left to dry for 3-6 months (traditional variety) or 5-9 months (matured variety) in a controlled environment.
There are two types of Fenalår fra Norge found on the market, the traditional one with bone, and the riper, less salted and boneless one. The production method used today is based on Norway’s long history of hanging mutton legs to dry in the fresh mountain air to preserve the meat to use during the cold winter.
This specialty of the Faroe Islands emerged as a meat preserving technique. Skerpikjøt, or semi-fermented mutton meat, is prepared by wind-drying sheep's legs in the so-called hjallur, a typical Faroese outdoor shed with half-open, slatted sides.
The cold island climate and salty air impart a particularly tangy flavor to the meat, making it incomparable to similar cured meats. As a popular breakfast choice among locals, skerpikjøt is typically enjoyed with toasted sourdough bread, sprinkled with coarse salt.
Mutton ham is a cured meat product made by dry-curing a leg of mutton. Sheep have been grazing the hills of Scotland from time immemorial; hence mutton was more common than pork in this region. The need to preserve the meat gave rise to various preserving methods, including the preparation of mutton hams.
Traditionally, a leg of mutton is thoroughly rubbed with salt, sugar, saltpeter, and spices such as cloves, nutmeg, pepper, and allspice. It is then left to cure for about two weeks before being hung to dry. The ham can be smoked or unsmoked (green), and it is typically boiled before consumption.
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