The Americans claim baked hams as one of their traditional foods, but baked, stuffed hams originated in the Cotswolds in England centuries ago. The recipes made their way across the ocean to America with the Pilgrim Fathers thus become part of a traditional Christmas in the US.
British baked hams traditionally had a flour and water crust to protect them during cooking. The crust would be removed before serving and as the crust had soaked up all the flavor of the ham would usually be eaten by the servants. I prefer the American style glazed crust, I feel it is infinitely preferable to the original British crust as it adds sweetness and flavor to the ham.
A baked ham requires a piece of gammon which is a raw, cured bacon leg cut and is only called ham once it is cooked. Before preparing a baked ham always check if the gammon you buy needs to be soaked before cooking to remove the saltiness. Many supermarkets use a milder cure and won't need soaking.
- My Favorite Ham Recipe - Baked Ham with Apricot Stuffing
Serve your ham hot with a sauce and fresh vegetables and cold with pickled onions, chutney and/or piccalilli.
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