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Beside taste influences from this inland salt the quality of Bayonne ham relates to traditional restrictions under which it is produced Most pigs that produce Bayonne ham are bred on hundreds of relatively small family-owned farms each on average about 100 acres (40 hectares) in size Many farmers also grow corn and soy to feed their livestock Although pigs can be raised within 22 administrative and geographical ‘departments’ within three historical regions of southwest France (Aquitaine their meat can only be salted and aged south of the Adour River This is because this ‘Adour basin’ was historically cool enough to allow for sterile meat production Visualize this: the Adour River flows south from the Pyrenees Mountains before making a sharp turn westward toward the Atlantic peaks and coastline form a geographical rectangle between ocean and mountains that is dried by hot Foehn winds rolling off peaks and whipped by damp breezes fluffing in from the Atlantic The resulting climate is optimal for ham production Free range (or ‘plein air’) farms also exist here These include that of Earl Baile and his son Damien They raise 200 pigs on eight acres (three hectares) of rolling hills located between Salies-de-Béarn and St While walking this land in view of distant peaks Damien explained that depending on the market cycle their animals can sell (by weight) for 40% more than pigs raised indoors each animal must be 182 days or older before it is taken to the abattoir By this time most weigh a hefty 270 pounds (120 kilograms) Damien Baile and his father Earl operate a free range farm Raising livestock according to strict European Union standards affords Bayonne ham with IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) certification This is analogous to French government AOC denominations for wines: it indicates that the product was prepared tested and accredited according to standards related to quality and origin Quality control inspections are constant and legion and come from farmers themselves members of the consortium as well as from independent agencies a one-hour drive east and slightly north of Salies-de-Béarn Pierre-Yves Alifat led me into a processing facility where legs of ham—delivered from nearby abattoirs—are salted and aged As Director of the Consortium of Bayonne Ham ham was traditionally aged in mountains where it stays cooler In the Middle Ages pork was salted in November December and January to stabilize the meat then placed in barns in spring where it dried out from wind Quebec fisheries and with the military in the Seychelles before directing the Consortium of Bayonne Ham (which is partially funded by the European Union) He is an adaptable and amenable character who can prattle off statistics with aplomb toast aperitifs in a suit and tie with politicians and also skillfully salt a sizable ham by hand inside a curing unit In a preparation room we slipped on disposal hairnets aprons and booties and then washed and sanitized our hands vertical racks holding ham legs are attached to a network of ceiling mounted rails This allows each to be slid from room to room for differing processes Each approximately 22-pound (10 kilogram) ham leg is first laid on a table and salted for about ten minutes until the surface begins to ‘shine.’ The entire leg is then coated in salt and stored at a cool temperature for some 11 days until the salt is dusted off and the ham begins to age for nine to 12 months During this time salt seeps into the ham and transforms its taste profile—much as an oak barrel modifies characteristics of an aging wine At some point each leg is coated with a mixture of rice flour and grease to close its pores and improve eventual flavors—enhancing hazelnut and softly saline tastes approvals and a final branded ‘lauburu,’ or Basque Cross seal of certification A fourth of all hams retain their original shape The 'Lauburu' or Basque Cross brand of final approval for Bayonne ham In addition to taste imparted by inland salt Bayonne ham includes high sources of B vitamins Additional factors that contribute to its uniqueness quality and flavor derive from impacts of low-density farming Today the international market includes Belgium must undergo additional daily inspections for certification (as well as factory re-certification every 18 months) The effort appears to be worth it: the number of hams shipped stateside verges on doubling the original quantity first sent to the U.S we drove down hilly switchbacks and across verdant hills that looked toward deep valleys of the Béarn and Basque countryside Although this city is too warm for producing or aging ham the name association derives from its historical importance as a shipping port Bayonne city has included a large ham market the city’s compelling architecture includes a citadel constructed by 17th century military architect Vauban The city was a historical center for chocolate production and once included multiple canals to transport goods to the Adour River from where they then floated to the Atlantic Bayonne ham producers gather in the city for Fêtes de Bayonne—a massive five-day festival that draws up to a million visitors dressed in white and red to celebrate Basque and regional history Dozens of events take place during these festival days The festival kicks off on Wednesday evening at 10.00 p.m in the Place de la Liberté outside the mayor’s office—beside the confluence of the Adour and Nive rivers There are speeches from the town hall in French and Basque while a packed crowd cheers and sings can hordes of visitors transform their red scarves into neck kerchiefs They do this while dispersing back into city plazas and alleyways to enjoy summer evening aperitifs of Bayonne ham together with glasses of Béarn This celebration of culture and tradition is also a memorable mid-summer feast France - Defending champion Alberto Contador of Spain virtually secured a third Tour de France title Thursday after staying with yellow-jersey rival Andy Schleck all the way to the top of the legendary Col du Tourmalet in the pivotal 17th stage Schleck won the prestigious stage but Contador crossed the line nearly shoulder to shoulder with the Luxembourg rider after the pair had broken clear in the final six miles Contador appeared completely at ease as Schleck set a punishing pace up the final climb The Spaniard even moved in front at one point but he didn't appear concerned about trying to cross the line first Contador retained his 8-second lead in the overall standings and looks destined to be wearing yellow when the Tour rides into Paris for Sunday's largely ceremonial final stage Schleck knew he needed to pick up time on Contador in the last stage in the Pyrenees but could not break the Spaniard They completed the 108.1 miles from Pau to the top of the Col du Tourmalet in 5 hours "But the most important thing for me today was that I didn't lose time." Third place went to Spain's Joaquin Rodriguez who pulled away from the rest of the chasing group and finished on his own Time gaps are still expected to change in Saturday's time trial Schleck had acknowledged before Thursday's stage that he would need to pick up at least a minute on Contador if he was to have a chance of winning the Tour Although he changed his tune Thursday evening and insisted he still had a chance as well as the flags of supporters hitting them in the face during the climb French President Nicolas Sarkozy was on the top of the mountain to greet them "The image of Alberto and Andy side by side was a great image of sport," Sarkozy said 2008 champion Carlos Sastre made a valiant attempt to make up more than nine minutes separating him from Contador by breaking out alone in search of the lead group after 15 miles and was caught by the pack just before the start of the Tourmalet Lance Armstrong was with the Schleck-Contador group until Schleck made his move 6 miles from the summit of the Tourmalet Anthony Charteau of France finished in 27th place having done enough to guarantee he would be the overall winner of the King of the Mountains' polka-dot jersey for the Tour's best climber In a lighter moment on the second climb of the day the peloton was briefly disrupted by a group of sheep that crossed the road just as the riders arrived No rider fell but several were forced to brake hard and stop and after four days of struggling at the back over the climbs the sprinters are likely to fight out the win in Friday's 18th stage a 123-mile mostly flat ride from Salies-de-Bearn to Bordeaux Thor Hushovd of Norway holds the green jersey as points lead as top sprinter ahead of Italy's Alessandro Pettachi with Mark Cavendish of Britain also in the hunt for the stage win and hoping for the green jersey when the riders reach Paris Associated Press Naomi Koppel contributed to this report who was thrown out of the race eight days ago for irregular tactics Racing into a headwind between the elegant buildings of Bordeaux's Quai Louis XVIII and the broad waters of the Garonne Cavendish trounced the world's best sprinters with an ease that was almost insolent The rigours of the past few days in the Pyrenees particularly those of the four climbs on Tuesday and the Tourmalet on Wednesday had clearly not drained the last of the explosive energy from his legs who finished 14th and conceded that he now has no chance of regaining it given his lack of top-end speed in the bunch sprints The winner will be decided in the Champs-Elysees on Sunday where there will be 35 points for the winner If Cavendish can win the final stage without the help of Renshaw who gave him such decisive assistance last year and Petacchi finishes no higher than eighth then the 25-year-old from the Isle of Man will become the first British rider to finish with the green jersey – an achievement of which he was deprived last year after being controversially disqualified from the victory in a spring in Besançon These calculations assume that neither man contests the two intermediate sprints scheduled during the final laps in Paris four and two points for the first three riders In 2008 he was banned for six months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for inadvertent overuse of salbutamol which he was cleared to use in normal quantities Next week he will appear before an Italian magistrate to answer questions in another doping investigation A breezy stage began in Salies-de-Béarn and the riders cantered through several charming villages in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques before entering the Landes where they covered 100km of pan-flat roads in which pine woods alternated with vast areas cleared by logging The occasional pile of timber provided momentary shelter from the crosswinds but a four-man break emerged featuring Matti Breschel of Saxo Bank Benoit Vaugrenard of Francais des Jeux and Jerome Pineau of Quick Step The sprinters' teams ensured that the quartet were never able to stretch their lead beyond two and a half minutes and after the bunch had emerged from the pines and entered the Bordeaux vineyards there was never any doubt about the outcome was the last to be swept up on the quayside boulevard trying to salvage something from their Tour sent out five riders to tow Edvald Boassen Hagen to the line but they were swamped as the real speedsters got into their stride Hushovd briefly showed at the front but Petacchi went past him with 275m to go only to be left gasping by Cavendish's seemingly effortless acceleration in which he looked back to see Julian Dean overtake the Italian for second place with the remaining two days in mind: "The Tour de France is such a hard race that you have to save as much energy as possible Now I've got to try and win on the Champs-Elysées not just in the sprints but in the Pyrenees "I missed having somebody who suffers more than me in the mountains Someone asked him to describe the difference between Mark Cavendish now and Mark Cavendish before the start of the race A 52km time trial from Bordeaux to Pauillac awaits the riders today with Andy Schleck attempting to upset the form book by clawing back the eight seconds separating him from Alberto Contador and the yellow jersey "It's going to be the most important day of my life on a bike," he said last night Komisija je danas odobrila registraciju osam novih naziva proizvoda iz Hrvatske Portugala i Španije sa zaštićenom oznakom geografskog porekla i zaštićenom oznakom porekla Komesar za poljoprivredu i ruralni razvoj Fil Hogan je izjavio: „Dodavanje osam novih proizvoda iz pet država članica u registar zaštićenih oznaka geografskog porekla i registar zaštićenih oznaka porekla pokazuje značaj ovih sistema i veliku pažnju koji oni privlače Oznakama geografskog porekla visokokvalitetni proizvodi dobijaju dodatnu vrednost od čega koristi imaju evropski poljoprivrednici i proizvođači hrane Njihov značaj se ogleda u važnosti koju pridajemo njihovoj zaštiti u međunarodnim trgovinskim pregovorima.“ Vrednost prodaje proizvoda iz svih kategorija sa  oznakom zaštićenog geografskog porekla (poljoprivredni proizvodi aromatizovana vina i žestoka alkoholna pića) je 2010 odnosno skoro šest odsto poljoprivredno-prehrambenog sektora EU broj zaštićenih prehrambenih proizvoda je dostigao 1.349 Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience Check out these products and more at the new French gourmet grocer and bistro RELATED: First Look: So France Bistro-Epicerie Kenneth is a former newspaper journalist who relishes uncovering stories in eateries and kitchens as much as hunting for new chomping grounds With more than five years of content production experiences on print he enjoys his min chiang kueh as much as moussaka he is intrigued by the blend of ingenuity and hard work behind their food and tamarind come together in a bowl that has stood the test of time — and taste Singapore’s bustling melting pot of multiethnic cuisines wouldn’t be complete without a dazzling — and often Discover which dishes our MICHELIN inspectors loved in this year’s selection tuna auctions—there’s something for everyone at these markets Modern supermarkets may be convenient for some but Asia’s wet markets are still the preferable source for fresh ingredients many professional and home cooks rely on Seven celebrated chefs from MICHELIN-starred restaurants in the luxury hotel brand will helm gourmet events across three Asian cities in the second edition of this epicurean event Check out a slew of farmer's markets that are located near metro stations in Taipei Lighten your load and do a good deed by donating to those in need Snag a romantic rendezvous with that special someone at these stunning spots These beautiful Christmas markets date back to the Middle Ages and see millions of visitors every year Singapore spices and ingredients will be integral to La Dame de Pic the three-Michelin-starred Maison Pic’s Asian outpost in the historic Raffles Hotel The Cantonese-style tze char stall’s speciality noodles covered with a blanket of fried eggs is so popular that it is not listed on the menu The MICHELIN Guide Digital gets an exclusive sneak peek at the food and entertainment highlights at Twenty3 a new hospitality complex at this year's race A round-up of good eats and dining news from Singapore in September 2018 Known for its towering milkshakes and classic burgers the famed celebrity haunt will offer items exclusive to Singapore The celestial creations this festive season include ingredients ranging from dried shrimp and calamansi to Milo and Guinness Stout Non-members can add the privileges at checkout through our 30 day free trial By continuing I accept the Terms & Condition and Privacy Policy. I would like to receive Newsletter from MICHELIN Guide Save lists of your favorite restaurants & hotels Peach Tartlets Feeling peckish and craving something sweet? These nugget-sized peach tarts from Lou Cocal are filled with sweet and sticky peach and cheese or honey and pistachio before being glazed with Monbazillac wine RELATED: First Look: So France Bistro-Epicerie Britain's Mark Cavendish claimed his 14th career success on the Tour de France yesterday after coasting to victory in a bunch finish to the 18th stage over 198km from Salies-de-Bearn to Bordeaux Spaniard Alberto Contador retained the yellow jersey with his eight-second lead on Andy Schleck still intact a day ahead of the race's final time trial over 52km gave a sprinting master class to his rivals on what was one of the last stages likely to finish in a bunch sprint who has been missing lead-out man Mark Renshaw since the Australian's exclulsion from the race last week came over the line with room to spare after following Alessandro Petacchi's wheel in the last 400 metres Lampre rider Petacchi finished third behind Kiwi Julian Dean but did enough to take back the green jersey for the sprinters' points competition from Norwegian Thor Hushovd Cervelo sprinter Hushovd was well placed in the final kilometre but lost ground when two-stage winner Petacchi veered to the left of the road creating a new echelon which an alert Cavendish did well to follow Isle of Man rider Cavendish has now won four stages on the race to go with the six he won in 2009 and four he won in 2008 He is also back in the running for the green jersey an objective he began the race with but had to forget about after a disastrous first week of racing the sprinters are likely to be back in action tomorrow when the race finishes on the Champs Elysees in Paris where Cavendish won his sixth stage of last year's edition please register for free or log in to your account En janvier, la cha�ne danoise DRTV affirmait que Bjarne Riis, alors membre de l'�quipe italienne Gewiss-Ballan, avait �t� contr�l� � l'�t� 1995 avec un h�matocrite de 56,3 % contre 41,1% le 14 janvier de la m�me ann�e apr�s avoir �t� op�r� d'une thrombose � la jambe VARIATIONS DES H�MATOCRITES CHEZ GEWISS EN 1994-1995