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Cured ham

Meat, fish & cheese· meat

What it is

Cured ham is the hind leg of a pig, salted and air-dried over many months.

What it tastes like

On the nose: fruity, orange-rose. Among its measured molecules: γ-heptalactone, γ-octalactone, γ-nonalactone, hexan-2-one, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine.

What goes with it

215 more go with it. See them all in the full library →

Salt and acid

Salt

Salt not measured yet.

Acid

Acid not measured yet.

Unusual pairings

Pairs the library can cite that almost nobody makes.

Every one of its 23 compounds carries a paper the library can cite.

  • benzaldehydearomaaldehydereads as burning aromatic taste (PubChem)Measured in 57 of 341 ingredients.cite
    669.11 ± 2.21 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Aldehydes, row B4 'Benzaldehyde', column BHCH)
  • octanalaromaaldehydereads as fruity (PubChem)Measured in 40 of 341 ingredients.cite
    1704.94 ± 3.87 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Aldehydes, row B2 'Octanal', column BHCH)
  • 1-octanolaromaalcoholreads as fresh orange rose (PubChem)Measured in 20 of 341 ingredients.cite
    353.85 ± 2.68 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Alcohols, row A7 '1-Octanol', column BHCH)
  • phenylethyl alcoholaromaalcoholreads as sharp burning taste (PubChem)Measured in 42 of 341 ingredients.cite
    337.77 ± 2.71 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Alcohols, row A8 'Phenylethyl Alcohol', column BHCH)
  • hexanalaromaaldehydereads as sharp, aldehyde (PubChem)Measured in 87 of 341 ingredients.cite
    7859.9 ± 19.90 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Aldehydes, row B1 'Hexanal', column BHCH)
  • 1-pentanolaromaalcoholMeasured in 20 of 341 ingredients.cite
    373.15 ± 2.65 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Alcohols, row A6 '1-Pentanol', column BHCH)
  • γ-octalactonearomaetherMeasured in 3 of 341 ingredients.cite
    47.18 ± 1.80 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Ketones, row D8 '5-Butyldihydro-2(3H)-furanone', column BHCH)
  • γ-nonalactonearomalactonereads as reminiscent of coconut (PubChem)Measured in 4 of 341 ingredients.cite
    70.77 ± 3.11 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Ketones, row D6 'Dihydro-5-pentyl-2(3H)-furanone', column BHCH)
  • γ-heptalactonearomalactoneMeasured in 2 of 341 ingredients.cite
    34.31 ± 1.81 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Ketones, row D9 '2(3H)-Furanone, dihydro-5-propyl-', column BHCH)
  • 2,6-dimethylpyrazinearomapyrazineMeasured in 7 of 341 ingredients.cite
    160.84 ± 2.97 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Others, row H1 '2,6-Dimethylpyrazine', column BHCH)
  • 2-heptanonearomaketonereads as pear flavor (PubChem)Measured in 24 of 341 ingredients.cite
    1291.03 ± 3.03 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Ketones, row D1 '2-Heptanone', column BHCH)
  • 1-hexanolaromaalcoholreads as fatty, fruity (PubChem)Measured in 50 of 341 ingredients.cite
    1318.91 ± 4.45 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Alcohols, row A2 '1-Hexanol', column BHCH)
  • heptyl alcoholaromaalcoholreads as fragrant (PubChem)Measured in 9 of 341 ingredients.cite
    512.55 ± 4.16 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Alcohols, row A5 '1-Heptanol', column BHCH)
  • 2-heptanolaromaalcoholMeasured in 7 of 341 ingredients.cite
    1816.45 ± 5.39 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Alcohols, row A1 '2-Heptanol', column BHCH)
  • hexan-2-onearomaketoneMeasured in 4 of 341 ingredients.cite
    270.21 ± 2.81 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Ketones, row D5 '2-Hexanone', column BHCH)
  • 2-nonanonearomaketoneMeasured in 11 of 341 ingredients.cite
    975.78 ± 3.48 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Ketones, row D2 '2-Nonanone', column BHCH)
  • 1-octen-3-olaromaalcoholMeasured in 38 of 341 ingredients.cite
    970.42 ± 3.49 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Alcohols, row A3 '1-Octen-3-ol', column BHCH)
  • isoamyl alcoholaromaalcoholMeasured in 46 of 341 ingredients.cite
    579.03 ± 2.34 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Alcohols, row A4 '1-Butanol, 3-methyl-', column BHCH)
  • nonanalaromaaldehydereads as orange-rose (PubChem)Measured in 62 of 341 ingredients.cite
    957.55 ± 3.51 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Aldehydes, row B3 'Nonanal', column BHCH)
  • 3-octanonearomaketonereads as fruity (PubChem)Measured in 8 of 341 ingredients.cite
    839.6 ± 1.95 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Ketones, row D3 '3-Octanone', column BHCH)
  • 2-heptenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 14 of 341 ingredients.cite
    411.76 ± 2.6 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Aldehydes, row B5 '2-Heptenal, (E)-', column BHCH)
  • 2-OctenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 26 of 341 ingredients.cite
    286.3 ± 2.79 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Aldehydes, row B6 '2-Octenal, (E)-', column BHCH)
  • 2-NonenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 22 of 341 ingredients.cite
    196.51 ± 2.92 ng/g in the Spanish white-pig dry-cured ham (BHCH) — Yu et al. 2025, Foods (Table 4 (The composition and concentration of volatile compounds identified in five different types of ham samples using HS-SPME-GC-MS), Aldehydes, row B8 '2-Nonenal, (E)-', column BHCH)

Sources

  • Yu et al. 2025, Foods
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