Prague Ham

Prague Ham on a stall at the Old Town Square in Prague

Prague Ham (Czech: Pražská šunka) is a type of brine-cured, stewed, and mildly beechwood-smoked boneless ham[1][2] originally from Prague in Bohemia (Czech Republic). When cooked on the bone, it is called šunka od kosti ("Ham off the bone"), considered a delicacy.[3] It was first marketed in the 1860s by Antonín Chmel, a pork butcher from Prague's Zvonařka ("Bell-Maker street") on the Nuselské schody (The Nusle Steps).[4]

It was a popular export during the 1920s and 1930s – to the point that other cultures started copying the recipe and making it domestically. Considered the Czech Republic's "family silver", it is now regionally brand-protected by European law.[5] Because of this, other regions must call it "Prague style" Ham rather than Prague Ham.

The Old Prague Ham Scam

Prague Ham is traditionally served in restaurants with a side of boiled potatoes[6] (and lots of good Czech beer[7]).

Shady street vendors sell the same dish, but sell it by the weight in grams rather than per serving.[8] Tourists who don't know any better and say how much they want (or who don't understand the metric system) will get a large slab of ham and a heaping side order of potatoes. What seemed economical at first usually adds up to quite a sum - the final cost can be greater than if they bought a three-course meal in a fine restaurant.[9]

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