Abraham

Abraham is a German ham brand and raw-ham specialist based in Seevetal near Hamburg. The brothers Rolf and Jürgen Abraham founded it in 1971 with a smokehouse in Moisburg, and it is owned today by Bell Food Group. According to its owner Bell Food Group, its raw-ham business is No. 1 in Germany.

The first year brought 20,000 raw hams; by 1985 the firm made 500,000 a year after adding the Seevetal plant and taking over a smokehouse at Harkebrügge. In 1988 it was the first in its sector approved for US export.

The range is almost all raw ham: Schwarzwälder Schinken, Katenschinken (also diced), Ammerländer Kernschinken, Landschinken, Bauernschinken, Meersalzschinken, Schinkenspeck air-dried or mildly smoked, smoked Rinderschinken, Serrano (the Serrano Reserva ripened at least 12 months, a Spanish ham) and Prosciutto Crudo. The Schwarzwälder Schinken carries the EU PGI seal; for Ammerländer Kernschinken no PGI is recorded.

Abraham is a ham specialist rather than a full-range sausage house, and it works in German types (Schwarzwälder, Katen, Ammerländer) beside Spanish and Italian ones. Three light lines, Sportler, Leichter Genuss and Edelschinken, are not stated as raw or cooked by the producer, so the pack is worth checking.

On the shelf, look for «Abraham – Der Schinkenspezialist» and the claim «Schinken ist Abraham». Formats are a sliced fold pack made from recycled material, 80 g sliced trays, diced packs, and whole pieces or a gift box, found at supermarket counters and on self-service shelves.