Prague Ham (Czech: Pražská šunka, German: Prager Schinken) is a type of brine-cured, stewed, and mildly beechwood-smoked boneless ham[1][2] originally from PragueinBohemia (Czech Republic). When cooked on the bone, it is called šunka od kosti ("ham from the bone"), considered a delicacy.[2] 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).[1]
It was a popular export during the 1920s and 1930s – to the point that other cultures started copying the recipe and making it domestically. Pražská šunka/Prague Ham is registered as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed in the European Union and the UK and can only be produced according to a specified procedure.[3]
Prague Ham is traditionally served in restaurants and from street vendors with a side of boiled potatoes[4] and often accompanied by Czech beer.[2]
Most street vendors sell it by weight in grams rather than per serving.[5]
The following translations are registered for the Traditional Speciality Guaranteed:[3]
