
Welcome to Westphalia, the Land of Ham
and Germany's traditional gourmet region.
and Germany's traditional gourmet region.
Production with a long tradition
There is evidence that as far back as the 12th century Westphalian ham on the bone was offered for sale as a speciality in Rhenish Cologne, one of the most important markets in the Middle Ages. Another surprising piece of evidence is found in the church of "St. Maria zur Wiese" (St. Mary of the Meadow) in Soest: Over the north porch a glass window from around the year 1500 AD depicts the "Westphalian Last Supper". Goethe himself remarked: "Instead of the Easter lamb there is a ham on the table..."; but black bread, beer and corn schnapps can also be made out. So it is fair to claim that the so-called "Westphalian breakfast" can look back on a long tradition.Salting and smoking has been handed down as the process for producing ham for more than a thousand years. The art of preparing a meat product which is both appetising and suitable for storage has been passed on from generation to generation since then.