What part of the pig is best for ham?

[yellowfrog463]

The butt half is the upper part of the ham. Its meat tends to be very tender and flavorful—but it often contains part of the hip bone, which makes carving a little awkward. The shank half is the lower part of the ham.

[bigbird816]

The shank end sports that classic ham profile, so its a good choice for a picture-perfect table. The meat tends to be fattier and it has one long bone, which makes carving easier. While the shank looks pretty as a picture, the butt end (the top half of the ham) is leaner and offers a little extra meat.

Similarly, where does ham come from a pig? The word ham derives from the Old English hamm and refers specifically to a cut of meat from the hogs hind legs. China takes credit for curing the first pork leg back in 4900 B.C. Enthusiasm for ham spread throughout ancient Europe with the Romans, who likely learned of the practice while trading with the Chinese.

In this regard, what is the ham of a pig?

Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking. As a processed meat, the term ham includes both whole cuts of meat and ones that have been mechanically formed.

What cut of pork is a ham?

Hams are cuts of pork that come from the leg, which have been dry-cured and smoked (country hams) or wet-cured and then boiled or smoked (city hams). The dry-cured hams are saltier, stronger flavored and have a coarser texture. Hams are larger cuts used to serve several people.