Rauchfleisch (lit. Smoked meat in German, also known as Selchfleisch in Bavarian, and Geselchtes in Austria and parts of Bavaria) is a general term for pieces of meat preserved by salting and cold smoking, usually beef or pork. It can be eaten thinly sliced like ham or cooked as part of hot and cold dishes.[1]
Hamburg smoked meat is made from the topside or tail of beef. It was originally used as provisions for sea voyages. It is typically boiled, thinly sliced after cooling, and served with grated horseradish. In Austria, it is traditionally served hot with the Austrian and southeastern German dish ("farmer's feast").[2]
In and, smoked meat is sometimes referred to as nagelfleisch ("nail meat") because it is hung on a nail to dry. In Rhineland, horse meat was often used for this purpose, whereas in Westphalia, it is usually air-dried and unsmoked beef.