In many households, a nicely cured ham is as central to the Easter feast as eggs and bunnies are to the hunt. Flavorful, versatile and easy to prepare, ham makes a tasty and attractive centerpiece for a memorable meal.
No one knows exactly how ham became associated with Easter, but historians have suggested a number of possible reasons.
For one, it was a practical choice, especially on family farms where the hindquarters of hogs slaughtered in the chill of the fall were cured and safely preserved through the winter, ready to be served as a welcome treat in early spring.
For another, pigs represented prosperity in some cultures, giving them added symbolism as the centerpiece of a religious celebration.
More intriguing, anthropologists see theological and cultural roots in the association of ham with Easter. Early Christians needed ways to distinguish their religion from Judaism. Embracing pork, a food forbidden to Jews, offered a clear difference.
Then there is the "duh" reason for ham at Easter or any time - the sweet, smoky flavor is just downright good. And even if it isn't exactly fast food, the relative ease of preparing a ham adds to its attraction as the centerpiece for an Easter feast, or any meal when families gather to celebrate.
These days, ham and other pork dishes are being touted as a lower-fat alternative to beef. In fact, since World War II, hogs have gotten so much leaner that the National Pork Board says extra-lean ham has a fat and calorie profile almost comparable to boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Tom Hartsock of the University of Maryland, College Park explains it this way: Until World War II, lard (hog fat, as opposed to tallow, which is beef fat) was a mainstay of every kitchen, which meant that the fat on a hog was at least as valuable as the meat.
But during the war, scientists found ways to make cooking oil from plant sources, a much cheaper source of fat. So demand for lard slackened, and farmers began breeding for leaner hogs.
"We've taken two-thirds to three-quarters of the fat off," says Hartsock, who directs UMCP's Institute of Applied Agriculture.
Hartsock got a graphic demonstration of the difference in the early 1970s, when he examined some pigs descended from pre-World War II genetic stock. He measured three inches of subcutaneous fat on the animals, as compared to less than one inch and, "on some better hogs, less than 1/2 inch" of fat today.
