A Ham for Holidays Past and Present
Like so many Christmas traditions, the ceremonial Christmas ham may be rooted in ancient pagan rituals that predate Christianity. Boar was a requisite ingredient in the Scandinavian celebration of Yule, the winter solstice "blót" (a deity-themed pep rally), that customarily featured a sacrifice to gods and elves. During Yule, Norse and Germanic peoples sacrificed and ate a hog in honor of the fertility god, Freyr, the sword-wielding arbiter of peace and pleasure who was usually depicted walking alongside a rather substantial boar.
A similar swine-centered sacrifice also marked the winter solstice celebration of Saturnalia in ancient Rome. During Saturnalia, which was observed from December 17th to December 23rd, Romans slaughtered a hog in honor of the god Adonis who died at the tusks of a wild boar and was believed to have been born at some point around the solstice.
In either case, it is assumed that rather than eliminating or suppressing these pagan practices and symbols, Christian missionaries simply allowed them to continue so long as pagan spirituality was sublimated into a celebration of God. Thus, Freyr's boar became Christ's ham.
One of the oldest known Christmas carols (first published in 1521) is actually an English ballad titled "The Boar's Head Carol." To this day, Oxford University's Queen's College choir sings the carol at the Boar's Head Gaudy, where a procession of students presents a rather sizeable boar's head to the Provost, who then slices and serves the meat to all in attendance at College Hall. Perhaps this ritual is a residual ceremony from the former Roman occupation of Britain?
Now, so many years on under the pretext of Christian convention, ham is still enjoyed in households from Helsinki to Spokane. Yet, while still served under the same banner of reverence, not all Christmas ham is alike. As with so many other holiday foods that transcend cultures and borders both natural and manmade, the preparation and presentation of Christmas ham varies from one place to the next. In America, such subtleties and distinctions arise between what are commonly known as "country hams" and "city hams," both of which are loosely affiliated with the South and North, respectively.
In the South, the only true ham is "country ham" and it's salty, tough, and, if cured properly, ageless. Cured in 1902, a notable Smithfield ham (Virginia 's fabled and famous version of country ham, which by decree of the state's General Assembly can only be produced by four companies) has never been refrigerated and is still on display in Smithfield, Virginia 's Isle of Wight Museum.
In the old, hot, and humid South, fresh ham spoiled quickly in the absence of refrigeration. Ham must have been eaten or cured immediately or else it would soon become the den of flies and botulism. Thus, southern farmers and processors observed certain curing practices that are similar to those traditionally used in Italy and Spain; it's no coincidence then that country hams are essentially the same thing as prosciutto.
Country hams are usually dry-cured (rubbed down with salt and oftentimes sugar and other spices), smoked (over a bed of hickory or other mixed hardwoods), and aged in a cellar or barn for three to twelve months depending on the preferences of the producer. Some country hams are even aged for up to seven years! In any case, the end result is a rough and fierce-looking leg of meat that resembles the knotted branch of a magnolia tree. Adding to their rugged reputation, country hams have been known to accrue mold, which, according to gourmands, is no cause for alarm. Much like aged cheese, aged ham carries mold like a badge of merit.
It is worthy to note that old-fashioned country and Smithfield hams once came from peanut-fed pastured hogs. In fact, in 1926 Virginia 's General Assembly mandated that only peanut-fed, pastured hogs produced in Smithfield could carry the Smithfield label. In 1966, however, that law was dropped and most Smithfield hogs have eaten a corn-based diet ever since, and most, if not all, are now raised on what are commonly referred to as factory farms.
As opposed to country hams, "northern" hams are more appropriately understood as "city hams," or the type one would find in a deli. City hams are customarily soaked in brine (wet-cured) and then slow-smoked at a low temperature. They are not aged. During the low-temperature smoking phase nitrates are usually added. The nitrates act as a preservative by eliminating dangerous bacteria. Nitrates also add a distinctive taste and texture to meat, while lending a red or pinkish hue. The amount of nitrates that can be used in meat products is regulated by the U.S. government, as nitrates are known to release nitrosamines, a carcinogen, when cooked. Country hams, on the other hand, usually do not contain nitrates.
Ham Today
Today, consumers can find an abundance of Christmas ham at their local supermarket or in one of the many holiday-themed food catalogs. Most are run-of-the-mill hams that have had their flavor "enhanced," as it reads on the package. According to Jennifer Small from Flying Pigs Farm in Shushan, New York, a "flavor enhancer" is just mildly-seasoned water that's injected straight into the meat.
The vast majority of Christmas hams come from a single hybrid breed of hog raised in confinement on a grain-based diet. As a result of all these factors, the meat has little to no taste and texture. Without the injected water, Small says, conventionally produced ham would eat like a bland "hockey puck" once it's pulled out of the oven.
On Flying Pigs Farm, Small and Michael Yezzi raise a variety of heritage breed hogs, including Tamworth, Gloucestershire Old Spots, and Large Blacks. Among other reasons, Small and Yezzi pasture-raise these breeds in part because they "produce a much moister and differently textured and flavored pork than the hybrid breeds at the supermarket. These old breeds don't need to be injected with water to be moist and as a result the texture is much better."
She notes that ham from a small producer such as herself is usually more expensive, but, in light of that, consumers should consider that with conventional, factory farm hams, they "are paying for water. Their low prices are contrived when 5, 10, almost 20% of the ham is water."
Flying Pigs Farm produces a range of pork products, notably smoked and fresh ham. As opposed to smoked ham, fresh ham is essentially a sizeable pork roast that is un-smoked and un-salted. In the most traditional sense, fresh ham is the ham in its purest form, just the rear leg of the pig and nothing more. According to Small, it wasn't too long ago that most people preferred fresh ham, especially in times before refrigeration. Small herself favors fresh ham for the holidays.
Small regrets the decline in popularity of smoked ham for Christmas in favor of other options, particularly turkey. Not only is smoked ham delicious, but, she says "it's also one of the easiest meat entrees you can make and it's fool proof…and there's a lot you can do with leftover ham." Small oftentimes offers toothpick samples of her smoked ham at farmers' markets and the look of pleasant surprise on her customer's faces has become routine.
"It's shocking the number of people that turn around and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I haven't had smoked ham since I was a kid. I forgot how good it was.'"
Small credits small producers, such as herself, for reintroducing smoked ham as not only a Christmas dinner option, but as an easy-to-cook meal for anytime of the year.
"You just put it in the oven and heat it, or you might put mustard on the top and heat it and that's pretty much it. Which is kind of amazing when you consider how few people cook ham these days because it's so simple. Easiest party food possible. Put a smoked ham in the oven and leave it out on the table somewhere when people are milling around or for brunch. Just leave it out on the table with biscuits and mustard and you're done. People fall all over it and it's just the easiest thing you can do for a party."
In selecting a Christmas ham, she suggests that customers search out a small, sustainable producer whose hams have that proper balance between smokiness and saltiness.
"Find a producer whose methods of raising the animals you like and who is making hams with the salt and smoke balance that you prefer. The perfect combination is very subjective and it's an interesting thing to debate. But that's what people are drawn too—they find the one that suits their family's needs."
A good example of such a small producer would be the Stevenson family of Pleasant Valley Farm in Tionesta, Pennsylvania. The Stevenson's produce sugar cured, smoked hams with a special recipe that's been in the family for generations. According to Tom Stevenson, the family has sold their hams straight from the farm for the past fourteen years.
The Stevensons' hogs (Hampshire or Hampshire crosses) are never confined and are never given routine antibiotics, or as Stevenson likes to say, "our hogs don't do drugs."
Grain-fed and given plenty of room to roam, the hogs are raised in a natural environment where they are free to run about and root in the ground as they see fit.
Marketed from Labor Day through Christmas, the Stevensons' smoked hams generally sell out without any trouble. In fact, there's usually a waiting list. Hams are sold whole or by the half, with the whole ham typically weighing in around sixteen to eighteen pounds.
The hams are sugar cured with the family recipe, which really doesn't contain too much sugar, but is more of a mixture of salt, brown sugar, and assorted spices. Depending on the size of the ham, the mixture is rubbed into the meat for a matter of weeks before it's lightly smoked over a mixture of apple, hickory, and oak.
The Stevenson's produce anywhere from sixty to ninety hams a season, which are sold directly from the farm or at local farmers' markets.
A fairly large number of small, sustainable operations just like Flying Pigs Farm and Pleasant Valley Farm produce fresh and/or smoked ham either year-round or exclusively for the holidays. The Eat Well Guide lists just over 650 such producers across the U.S. and Canada. With so many options, the Eat Well Guide is an ideal resource for consumers looking for something more flavorful and appealing than a glorified "hockey puck" for the holidays.
- By John Kerkering
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