Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet ham hock pressure cooker dry curing, with or without smoking. Ham is made around the world, including a number of regional specialties, such as Westphalian ham and some varieties of Spanish jamón. The preserving of pork leg as ham has a long history, with traces of production of cured ham among the Etruscan civilization known in the 6th and 5th century BC. There are claims that the Chinese were the first people to mention the production of cured ham.

It was certainly well established by the Roman period, as evidenced by an import trade from Gaul mentioned by Marcus Terentius Varro in his writings. Germanic base where it meant “crooked”. It began to refer to the cut of pork derived from the hind leg of a pig around the 15th century. Ham is produced by curing raw pork by salting, also known as dry curing, or brining, also known as wet curing. Additionally, smoking may be employed, and seasonings may be added.

Traditional dry cure hams may use only salt as the curative agent, such as with San Daniele or Parma hams, although this is comparatively rare. This process involves cleaning the raw meat, covering it in salt while it is gradually pressed draining all the blood. Specific herbs and spices may be used to add flavour during this step. The duration of the curing process varies by the type of ham.

12 months, Parma ham takes more than 12 months, and Iberian ham can take up to 2 years to reach the desired flavor characteristics. Nitrites are used because they prevent bacterial growth and, in a reaction with the meat’s myoglobin, give the product a desirable dark red color. The dry curing of ham involves a number of enzymatic reactions. The salt content in dry-cured ham varies throughout a piece of meat, with gradients determinable through sampling and testing or non-invasively through CT scanning. Dry-cured ham is usually eaten without being cooked. Wet-cured hams are brined, which involves the immersion of the meat in a brine, sometimes with other ingredients such as sugar also added for flavour.

The meat is typically kept in the brine for around 3 to 14 days. The wet curing process can also be achieved by pumping the curing solution into the meat. This can be quicker, increase the weight of the finished product by more than immersion, and ensure a more even distribution of salt through the meat. This process is quicker than traditional brining, normally being completed in a few days. Wet-cured ham is usually cooked, either during processing, or after ageing. The Italian version of cooked, wet-cured ham is called prosciutto cotto, as are similar hams made outside Italy. It is first brined, then cooked in a container and finally surface pasteurized.