Friday, November 27, 2015

Cured In Smithfield

Took a ride to Smithfield, Virginia today.  This is an old abandoned house we passed along the way.

Smithfield is located about 30 miles west of Norfolk, and is famous for the curing and production of Smithfield Ham. The curing process was derived from a process Native American taught settlers five centuries ago.

The company, Smithfield Foods, raises 12 million and processes 20 million hogs annually.  They are the largest pork processor and hog producer in the world. To be called a "Smithfield Ham", certain requirements - defined in a statute in 1926 passed by the Virginia General Assembly - have to be adhered to.  One of them is that it be processed within the town limits of Smithfield.

Smithfield Foods was purchased in 2013  for $7.1 billion by a Chinese firm, which caused quite a bit of snorting and squealing in the community and elsewhere.  It was the largest-ever Chinese acquisition of an American company. The Chinese now own 1 in 4 pigs raised in the U.S.

We didn't see, hear, or smell any pigs while in Smithfield, but we did take a ride through the company headquarters.  The town sits on the Pagan River, is super cute, has lots of little shops along Main Street, and several historic buildings worth a look.

And remember...in the south, everything's got a little pig hidden in it somewhere.  Can't even have a vegetable without a little ham hock thrown in.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2014: Happy Thanksgiving!
2013: Football Eyes In A Pear Head
2012: Snack Attack
2011: Last Full Day Of Freedom
2010: Keyed Up
2009: The Ultimate Mrs.
2008: Happy Thanksgiving
2007: The Kind Of Contraction That Produces A Laugh, Not A Baby
2006: Wanderlust Officially Approved
2005: The Eye Of The Beholder

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