Ham cooked in wine

The poem Grímnismál and Snorri’s Edda tell that the fallen warriors in Valhalla – the Einherjar – are served freshly slaughtered, boiled pork from the boar Sæhrímnir every evening. The pig becomes whole again each night after being slaughtered and provides an eternal feast for Odin’s warriors.

Ham cooked in wine

The Vikings were very fond of pork, and excavations have revealed pig bones in many places. Fatty pork has long been a favourite dish among the Danes.

When the ham is cooked in red wine as in this recipe, the meat takes on a beautiful reddish colour. Serve it with a good coarse mustard and slow-roasted root vegetables.

Procedure

Pour the wine, water, mint, mustard seeds, salt and honey into a pot and bring to the boil.

Add the meat and let it simmer for about 45 minutes (core temperature 75°C). Then leave the ham to rest in the liquid for 20 minutes.

Ingredients

4 persons
  • 1 bottle (700ml) red wine
  • Same amount (700ml) water
  • 4 sprigs of mint
  • 2 tbsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 large tbsp honey
  • About 1 kg ham
Serve with Wholegrain mead mustard. Go to recipe here
Serve with Glazed roots. Go to recipe here