- Ham comes from a pig or boar and is the meat found in the thigh or back end of the animal. Ham can be cut straight off of the pig and eaten after it has been cooked, but usually ham goes through a curing process before it is distributed. Dry-cured ham go through a curing process with a mixture of salts and other forms of sodium. Wet-cured hams are processed by using a liquid mixture (brine), and are typically cut before cooking or serving.
- Ham can be served in a number of ways. Full hams can be baked for large gatherings like Christmas, or they can be sliced and served as deli meats. Ham can be eaten on its own or used in recipes for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Ham is popular on a grinder, pizza, egg sandwich, with potatoes or as a simple sandwich. Ham can also be cut thick and served as ham steaks.
Supermarkets usually carry several varieties of ham. Cheaper versions such as tinned ham are kept fresh with a layer of jelly and do not contain as much flavor as other hams. Other cheap versions of ham are sold "with water added"--the addition of water helps expand how much ham is available but lessens the quality of that ham.
To be legally labeled as ham, the ham must have at least 20.5 percent proteins.- The Chinese ate ham as early as 4900 B.C. Ham was brought to the United States by Christopher Columbus and Hernando de Soto. The pigs they brought survived on the ships and then were farmed on American land. Before refrigeration was available, ham was a great product because it lasted without spoiling for a long time. "Ham" was originally spelled "hamm," but the second "M" was dropped later on.
- Worldwide, ham has many different functions. Prosciutto is the term used for raw ham in Italy, and some raw hams there are cured for at least 12 months until they are sold and marketed. In France, ham is air-dried with a mixture of salts to receive its full flavor. Black Forest ham is created in Germany, a common type of ham available in the United States that features a black trim around the outside when it is sliced. In China, ham is used in a variety of stews and soups.
