Meat perspectives: Celebrating pork

Certain seasons of the year remind us of traditional foods and for many people, one of those is ham. Even though ham in its variety of forms is enjoyed year-round, thoughts of ham during Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter remind us of family gatherings spent celebrating these special times together.

The global ham market is expected to increase to $43.4 billion by 2032, compared to the $35 billion in 2024. This clearly demonstrates ham’s economic importance around the world, and the fact that it is consumed as part of breakfast, lunch and dinner makes it such an integral part of the food supply.

The term ham encompasses both whole cuts of meat and processed meat, and it is made from pork meat that is sourced from the hind leg or thigh. Ham is known for its unique flavor, taste and texture, and is consumed and prepared as cured, smoked or cooked. Ham is created in many ways around the world, including Westphalian ham and other forms of Spanish ham. Many ham products, such as Prosciutto di Parma in Europe and Smithfield ham, from Smithfield, Va., in the United States, enjoy local name protection.

What’s in a name

Ham labeled Parma Ham and/or Prosciutto di Parma must be produced in the region of Parma, Italy, and must meet characteristics of the product and the method of manufacture as required by Italian laws. The United States has many labeling requirements associated with hams. For example, ham is expected to be from the hind leg of the hog; “center slice” items must be sliced from an area of the original ham positioned about 1 inch on each side of a center cut; Capicola hams are cured and then cooked; and Prosciutto identifies a dry-cured ham.

Dry curing of country hams and prosciutto involves rubbing a fresh ham with a dry-cure mixture of salt and other ingredients and aging the ham for six months to over a year to draw out the moisture, resulting in a weight loss of 18% to 25% and produces a salty product.

Hams labeled as “honey cured” or “sugar cured” must meet specific requirements.

For honey cured hams, (1) the honey used must contain at least 80% solids or be a US grade C or above; (2) the honey should be the only sweetening ingredient or when other sweetening ingredients are used in combination with honey, they do not exceed one-half the amount of honey used; (3) the amount of honey used must be sufficient to flavor and/or affect the appearance of the finished product. Sugar cured may be used on the labeling if: