A whole salt-cured ham from the mountain town of Elena, matured in a wooden vessel called a kacha and sliced very thin. It is drier and saltier than western European hams and is one of Bulgaria’s protected regional foods.
Curing a whole bone-in leg takes months at a cellar temperature and humidity that must not drift, and an error deep in the muscle is invisible until the ham is cut open.
What goes into it
- a whole pork leg, bone in
- coarse salt
- a wooden kacha for maturing
How it is made
The leg is buried in salt for several weeks, the salt drawing out moisture and penetrating the muscle. It is then rinsed, pressed, and hung or packed in the wooden kacha in a cold mountain cellar, where it dries slowly for months while the cool air and low humidity of Elena do the rest.
How long it takes: six months to a year
How it is eaten
Shaved paper-thin as meze with rakia, cheese and pickles.
History
Cured in the mountain town of Elena, where hams are salted and matured in a wooden vessel called a kacha.
Frequently asked questions
What is Elenski but?
Elenski but is a charcuterie & cured from Bulgaria: whole salt-cured ham dried in a wooden tub, sliced thin. Cured in the mountain town of Elena, where hams are salted and matured in a wooden vessel called a kacha.
How is Elenski but made?
The leg is buried in salt for several weeks, the salt drawing out moisture and penetrating the muscle. It is then rinsed, pressed, and hung or packed in the wooden kacha in a cold mountain cellar, where it dries slowly for months while the cool air and low humidity of Elena do the rest. It takes six months to a year.
Can I make Elenski but at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Curing a whole bone-in leg takes months at a cellar temperature and humidity that must not drift, and an error deep in the muscle is invisible until the ham is cut open.
What goes into Elenski but?
A whole pork leg, bone in, coarse salt, a wooden kacha for maturing.
How is Elenski but eaten?
Shaved paper-thin as meze with rakia, cheese and pickles.
