What is a ‘cala’ and what is it used for in ham?

People say that we store more memories through our sense of smell than through sight. Smells reach our limbic brain directly without passing via the thalamus like other stimuli received by other senses, so they are branded into our memory, directly associated with emotions.

My childhood smells of ham. Despite having spent years devoted to other jobs, returning to my family profession was a little like going back to my childhood. Perhaps because of that, because the smell of ham is part of my life, my emotions, I am now in charge of penetrating the hams. This is a task that my sister inherited from our father and now I do it every day.

But what does it mean to penetrate a ham?

As we have mentioned in other blog posts, until the ham sheds water, it is likely to be contaminated by bacteria and other microorganisms. This shows the importance of the salting (see post) and post-salting phases (see post), and never breaking the cold chain. Current production systems guarantee a very low percentage of what are known as ‘cala’ hams. These are pieces that either due to being handled badly in the abattoir or the deboning room (instruments or surfaces are not disinfected properly, for example) or due to a handling fault in the drying area (mainly if the ham is heated too much in the early phases), they present some type of defect at the end of their process, generally associated with one-off bacterial contamination at the start of the process.
To detect these possible defects in the ham, we have a simple yet effective tool: the ‘cala’. It is sharp, like a long needle, between 10 and 12 cm long, traditionally made of cow or horse bone, although plastic versions are currently on the market. Basically, it is an odourless instrument that can quickly absorb the fragrance of the ham by making a small perforation or ‘cala’. Depending on the smell that we detect, we might perceive not only possible defects, such as cavities contaminated by bacteria, mould or mites, but also, after some practice, we can detect the curing or the salt level depending on the sweetness of its fragrance. In addition to the information that the ‘cala’ gives us through smell, the give of the piece when it is pierced, and the colour that it leaves on the ‘cala’, we also get valuable information on the condition of each leg.

Where does this take place on a ham?

Ham penetration is an invasive action. The ‘cala’ produces a “wound” on the piece that might cause problems later on. Consequently, not only should it be performed by qualified hands (and noses), but it should also be done just before leaving the drying area and in three specific spots. On the bridge bone (the join between the femur and the hip bone), on the femoral vein (around the knuckle) and on the shank (at the join between the femur and the tibia and the fibula). These are the three critical points for bacterial contamination, either because they are joints where cavities form and air or remains of liquid can get in or, as in the case of the femoral vein, because they might contain leftover blood gone bad. The penetration should only be performed once and quickly to damage the ham as little as possible and then the hole should be covered with lard. So, this means that it’s not a great idea to try this at home, as it will almost certainly have been done already and you would be damaging your ham unnecessarily.
If any type of defect is spotted, the ham is discarded and not eaten. Although the microorganisms causing the contamination appear during the initial phases, and the curing process gets rid of practically all of them by reducing the aqueous activity, the smell it produces means that the ham is not suitable for consumption. Fortunately, as we mentioned, process conditions are so well controlled that the percentage of ‘cala’ hams is practically nil.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *