Hiromeri

Hiromeri is a whole leg of pork cured the Cypriot way. It is salted, steeped in dry red wine, pressed and smoked, then left to mature. The name means pork leg. It is sliced very thin and eaten raw, the way prosciutto is.

Like lountza, it comes from Pitsilia, the group of villages in the eastern Troodos mountains. Hiromeri Pitsilias has been a protected geographical indication in the EU since 2020. Under those rules the leg is salted and left for five to seven days, then kept in dry red wine from the area for at least two weeks. The wine has to come from Pitsilia grapes, mostly the local Mavro, with Maratheftiko also allowed. Crushed coriander may be added during the salting or the wine stage, or just after.

The smoking is slow and cool, at no more than 38°C (100°F), with the meat kept away from direct flame, and the leg is pressed from time to time while it smokes. The pressing gives hiromeri its flat shape and dense texture. No nitrates, nitrites or other additives are allowed in the protected product, so its colour and keeping quality come from the salt, wine and smoke.

The finished ham is deep red, firm and salty, with a winey, smoky taste. Serve it in thin slices on a meze table with halloumi, olives and bread, and a glass of red wine or zivania.

Cypriot and Greek delis sell it sliced to order or vacuum-packed. Ask for it sliced as thinly as the shop can manage, because thick slices are chewy and taste much saltier.