Today's food holiday: "National Glazed Ham Day"!

Historically, spring was the time when pigs cured in the fall were ready to eat. Food is often associated with religious traditions including meals. For early Christians, embracing ham as their holiday meal was one way they affirmed their beliefs. Ham is still a common Easter dinner.

“Among Easter foods the most significant is the Easter lamb, which is in many places the main dish of the Easter Sunday meal. Corresponding to the Passover lamb and to Christ, the Lamb of God, this dish has become a central symbol of Easter. Also popular among European and Americans on Easter is ham, because the pig was considered a symbol of luck in pre-Christian Europe.” — Encyclopedia of Religion

Ham glaze is a popular twist to hams for special occasions, not only does it add flavor to your baked ham, but also keeps it tender and moist. As for the glazed, spiral cut ham, that came later. In 1937, Harry J. Hoenselaar invented a machine that cut ham uniformly to the bone, according to the HoneyBaked Ham Company . Because he could nobody would buy his patented slicer, by 1957 he had “developed a unique curing and cooking/smoking procedure and opened his own store selling a superior quality spiral sliced ham.” It became a family business and the HoneyBaked Ham Company now boasts 310 stores.


(Source: investmentwatchblog.com & cdkitchen.com; photo credit: fredmeyer.com; welldonerecipes.com)