Herb Eckhouse and his wife, Kathy, began producing “Prosciutto Americano” eight years ago in a plant they built here, just south of Des Moines. The meat has drawn enthusiastic reviews and is on the menus of upscale restaurants and in shops in New York, Chicago and the Bay Area.
Still, the Eckhouses, in hairnets and lab coats, fuss over details and patrol La Quercia’s cavernous curing rooms.
The plant was designed to mimic the four seasons, and approximate the way prosciutto was made two millenniums ago. Farm families in Italy killed the pigs in late November, salted the meat, then used the cold to help preserve it. Because salmonella — the enemy of all cured meats — thrives in a moist, warm environment, its growth was blocked.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
“You salt it in the winter, dry it in the winter, then you’d warm it up in the springtime and kind of age it in the summer. That’s the way our building is laid out,” Eckhouse said.
The hams are moved from chamber to chamber, each replicating a season and filled with equipment made in Italy. Computers control temperature and humidity. Specifics of the aging process (how long and at what temperatures) are secret.
(Liberty Times)
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
賀伯‧艾克豪斯與夫人凱西八年前在德梅因南部蓋工廠，打造美製義式火腿，引發市場熱議，並「榮登」紐約、芝加哥與舊金山灣區的高檔餐廳與商店菜單。
艾克豪斯夫婦戴起髮網、穿上實驗室外套，對所有細節念茲在茲，在La Quercia有如巨穴般的加工室裡來回巡視。
工廠模仿兩千年前古法製程，按照四季時序設計。義大利人在十一月殺豬，用鹽醃漬，利用低溫天候以助保存，因為沙門氏菌─所有醃肉的「敵人」─會在潮濕溫暖的環境中滋長。
艾克豪斯說：「冬天時用鹽醃肉並風乾，到了春天讓肉回溫，夏天則讓它們陳化。我們工廠就是按照這個程序設計的。」
工廠裡的每個房間使用義製設備模擬各個季節，用電腦控制溫度與濕度，火腿就在各個房間之間移來移去。陳化過程的具體數據（在多少溫度下放置多久）是不能說的秘密。
（自由時報／翻譯：詹立群）
A Cameroon-flagged cargo vessel “Shunxin-39” was believed to have caused damage to an undersea cable of Taiwan telecoms operator Chunghwa Telecom on the morning of Jan. 3. It was suspected that the Chinese merchant ship, which was registered with the nationality of another country, deliberately cut off the cable by dragging the anchor over it. While the incident is still under investigation, China has a long history of using maritime tactics to sabotage Taiwan’s infrastructure. In February last year, two cables linking Taiwan to its outlying Matsu Islands were damaged within days of each other by a Chinese fishing
Have you ever dreamed of using an entire city as your training ground, effortlessly moving across walls, buildings, stairs, and obstacles? This is not just a fantasy from the movies. In cities around the world, a group of enthusiasts practice this seemingly impossible sport — “parkour.” The origins of parkour can be traced back to 20th-century France. A military officer named Georges-Hebert witnessed the incredible physical abilities of local residents in Africa, which inspired him to create the Methode Naturelle, or natural method. This training method cleverly combined climbing, running, and swimming with artificial barriers to mimic nature. Later, David Belle
A: The 21st Century is now entering its 25th year. B: So Billboard has released a list: “The 25 greatest pop stars of the 21st Century.” A: Who are the greatest pop singers? B: No. 25 to 16 are: Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Bad Bunny, One Direction, Lil Wayne, Bruno Mars, BTS, The Weeknd, Shakira and Jay-Z. A: Wow, my favorite K-pop supergroup BTS has made it to the list. A: 21世紀正在邁入第25個年頭了。 B: 《告示牌》雜誌特別公布：「21世紀最偉大的25位流行歌手」。 A: 最偉大的歌手有哪些？ B: 第25至16名是：凱蒂佩芮、紅髮艾德、壞痞兔、1世代、小韋恩、火星人布魯諾、防彈少年團（BTS）、威肯、夏奇拉、Jay-Z。 A: 哇，我最愛的韓流天團BTS也上榜了！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Using a device to isolate a section of the seafloor, the researchers aimed to measure oxygen levels in the enclosed water. Normally, oxygen rates would decrease as marine organisms consume it, but the result was contrary to expectations. The unexpected outcome prompted the team to further investigate the phenomenon. Researchers found the lumps emitted an electric charge similar to that of a AA battery. This charge is believed to trigger a process that splits seawater into hydrogen and oxygen, accounting for the increase. Traditional perspectives propose that oxygen production began around three billion years ago through photosynthesis by ancient
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