Krakus Ham

[nancy]

The only ham that my mother would buy was Krakus Ham, imported from Poland. Anything else was scorned and pronouced inedible.


I really did not understand this - to me, it was a suspicious product, ham in a can! and with gelatin or "something" that appeared when you popped it out of the container. But I (easily amused) did like using the little metal key to open the container.

It is still carried in our local grocery stores, in fact, today for the first time I saw it packaged as "deli slices."

Personally, I found it bland rather than flavorful, but according to the website, www.krakusfoods.com/home.html it is supposed to be rather wonderful and highly regarded as an export from Poland.

Does anyone else know this ham?

[rdywenur]

Yes I think I was easily amused also Nancy. When much younger I think my parents had it on the table. Today the traditional American Ham on the bone has taken over our table.

[jimpres]

I used to buy the Deli Polish ham at Albertson's here in California. But they stopped selling it about 2 months ago.
But nothing is like the ham varities you buy in POland. In my humble opinion.

[gardenmoma]

Yes, Nancy...it commonly sold here in western MA. As a matter of fact, when my son was a baby (more then three decades ago) there was a classical music program on the radio right about the time he ate his supper...Dad usually worked very late. Well, this program always had a "Name that Piece" segment. The night I named the piece, this segment was sponsored by Kraukus ham and I "won" a pair of little Polish dolls dressed in typical Kakovian dress. I still have them :+) a little faded from sitting in the window. One of these days, I will pass them along to my son's daughter who already has some dolls, from Grandma, dressed in folk outfits.

I don't eat meat so I can't speak to how this ham tastes. When my husband wants ham, I let him pick one out. He likes to go to the local pork butcher shop, Polish owned and operated, and buy one with the bone in so he can have some kind of soup after the meat is finished :+)

GM

[Charles1]

Nancy,

Poles have wonderful sausages but this canned Krakus ham is not really very good.
The best Polish kabanosy I ate not in Poland but in Chicago , I hope I could buy it somewhere here in Idaho.

[Charles1]

The kabanosy under this link looks really tasty:
home.pacbell.net/lpoli/index_files/Kabanosy.pdf

[zooba]

Krakus ham used to be a delicacy - good quality. Now it has got worse I don't buy it anymore. But still I'm addicted to Polish hams and sausages.

[Yanc]

zooba said:

But still I'm addicted to Polish hams and sausages.

You don't have much choice anyway, zooba :-)

Yanc

[zooba]

No, I don't. But I've tried German, Spanish and Italian ham and none of them came close to Polish ham. Parma ham is in my view much overrated and Spanish ham just stinks of old socks. Thank you very much. German ham - no comments althiugh Bavarian "golonka" (pig's leg) in Munich was almost as good as the one that my mother cooks.

[Pawian]

nancy said:

The only ham that my mother would buy was Krakus Ham, imported from Poland.
I really did not understand this - to me, it was a suspicious product, ham in a can! and with gelatin or "something" that appeared when you popped it out of the container. But I (easily amused) did like using the little metal key to open the container.

Does anyone else know this ham?

When I was a child, it was a rarity in Poland. It still could be bought in shops in late 70s. In 80s it disappeared from regular shops completely.
But you could always buy it for hard currency in Peweks shops.
Just like you, I was always fascinated with the key opener attached to the can. I hated the gelatine either.

But the ham was so delicious. Compared to other socialist meat products which contained more additives than meat, the Krakus Ham appeared a royal delicatess.

[zooba]

Pawian,

I'm afraid now meat contains more additives than ever before. Even Krakus ham seems to be more artificial, it is evolving towards "mielonka" (tinned luncheon meat).

[justjohn]

Hi Nancy,
The Krakus ham is a old time item in our household. I have seen it in grocery coolers for many years. Comparing it to other canned hams, it by far is the best.

But, like all good yankees, we also like the bone in ham. So we generally buy that.

The Krakus comes in two sizes. A 2lb tin and a 5 lb tin. It is sold as a sandwich meat also.

[Pawian]

zooba said:

Pawian,

I'm afraid now meat contains more additives than ever before. Even Krakus ham seems to be more artificial, it is evolving towards "mielonka" (tinned luncheon meat).

Yes, I agree. That is why I wrote "the ham was so delicious." Today I eat it, I can buy tonnes of it in regular shops, but I consider it a normal product. Nothing special. Nancy had a similar impression, she said it was bland.
I think this socialist meat factory which produced for export was OK. They didn`t cheat on Krakus ham too much then. It is different today.

[lily]

lily here......

Polish ham in Poland was to die for - better than Creme!!

Husband and I stopped in a little village outside Biskupin last fall - and they had a small food store - we picked up the Rye Bread - and fresh ham - and pickles........talk about "to die for"....we just looked at each other in disbelief.....

[nancy]

zooba said:

No, I don't. But I've tried German, Spanish and Italian ham and none of them came close to Polish ham. Parma ham is in my view much overrated and Spanish ham just stinks of old socks.

Zooba, the Spaniards would be horrified to hear this about their ham I was in Madrid last summer (2004) and there were "Museo de Jamon" everywhere - shops that sold 100 varieties of ham - it is like a national(?) passion.