Ham is pork that has been preserved through salting, smoking, or wet curing.
[1] It was traditionally made only from the hind leg of swine, and referred to that specific cut of pork.
[2] Ham is made around the world, including a number of highly coveted regional specialties.
Ham is typically used in its sliced form, often as a filling for sandwiches and similar foods.
A ham hock is the portion of a pig’s leg that is neither part of the ham proper nor the foot or ankle, but rather the extreme shank end of the leg bone.