Christmas ham


A Christmas ham or Yule ham is a ham often served for Christmas dinner in northern Europe and the Anglosphere. The style of preparation varies widely by place and time.
It is said that the tradition of eating ham evolved from the Pagan ritual of sacrificing a wild boar to the Norse god Freyr during harvest festivals. The Christian adoption of this tradition stems from St Stephen's Day.

Swedish traditions

The centrepiece of the cold cuts section of a traditional Swedish Christmas smörgåsbord is a large Christmas ham.

Australian traditions

Ham is a traditional Australian dish that features on most tables on Christmas Day. It is cooked and served in various ways throughout Australia, with many families adding special ingredients, making it an important aspect of a Christmas meal.
As Christmas in Australia comes at the beginning of summer, many people no longer serve a traditional hot roast dinner, serving cold turkey and ham, seafood and salads instead. Christmas ham leftovers are often frozen to make soup and other dishes when the summer is over.