Ham by Santosh Malkoti
Channel: CHITKARA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH & INNOVATION NETWORK
Date: 2020-09-28

Pork is the most widely-eaten meat in the world accounting for over 36% of the world's meat intake. Various cured pork products are also quite widely used for ages.  Ham is considered as one of the most popular charcuterie product which is widely eaten throughout the world. 
Ham is the hind leg of a pig cut from the carcass and cured by salting and drying, and sometimes smoking so that it will keep for months at room temperature. ‘Ham’, in its more general meaning of the hind leg, is applied to cured meat from other animals, including – Wild boar, Mutton, Goat, Venison, and even Badger.

The ham may be sold whole or sliced, cooked or raw - that is pickled in brine, dried, and sometimes smoked. 

A good ham should be plump, with an ample, though not too thick, a layer of fat under the rind. Pork shoulder is cured in the same way, but it is not entitled to be called 'ham'; the flavour is not as good, but it can be used in cooked ham dishes.     

Gammon is the same joint as ham, but it is left attached to the side during Bacon curing, and cut from it afterward. In other words, we can say that Gammon is basically a raw ham, which is cured but is not smoked. Gammon is the term commonly used by Britishers for fresh pork leg. So a gammon has to be cooked before it is consumed.  Many times a gammon is also called Green ham.