Black Forest ham

noun

: a variety of boneless ham produced in the Black Forest region of Germany that is marinated in a mixture of spices and smoked over pine or fir to produce a blackened skin and a rich red color on the inside

also : a similar ham made elsewhere

A rosette of Black Forest ham was all that remained of my business-class luncheon appetizer as we hurtled from the coast of China toward the islands of Japan.

—Jeffrey Steingarten, It Must've Been Something I Ate, 2002

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

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