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Page 4 %u2013 Australian Pork Newspaper, February 2025 www.porknews.com.auTogether,Let%u2019s Prove thePower of Partnership.Distributed in Australia by:Something powerful happens when shared expertise, care and nutritional performance come together. Suddenly, obstacles feel more like growth opportunities. That is the transformational power of partnership.Zinpro%u00ae Availa%u00ae Sow helps build more productive sows and gilts with improved reproduction, better efficiency and increased longevity. It has also been shown to reduce lameness and has a positive impact on the cost of production. Experience the power of partnering with Zinpro%u00ae.03 5429 2411www.feedworks.com.auHAM, December and Christmas just happen to go together.So too does ham, January and the new year %u2013 for leftover Christmas ham at least.Such a versatile product that keeps so well for so long.I was eating and enjoying my annual D%u2019Orsogna Premium Leg Ham well into midJanuary.Ham also happens to %u2018come to life%u2019 again in some households at Easter. More on that below.Curious as to the many and varied traditions associated with ham, especially at Christmas, I did a quick %u2018Google%u2019 %u2013 as one does %u2013 and here are a few slices of what I discovered.The tradition of eating ham is thought to have evolved from the Germanic pagan ritual of sacrificing a wild boar, known as a sonarg%u00f6ltr, to the Norse god Freyr during harvest festivals. Freyr was the god of fertility, harvest and boars. Paganism also offered many traditions for Christianity, including Christmas trees. And so, the tradition of the Christmas ham was born.The preserving of pork legs as ham has a long history, with traces of production of cured ham among the Etruscan civilisation known in the fifth and sixth century BC. Cato the Elder wrote about the %u201csalting of hams%u201d in his De Agri Cultura tome around 160 BC.Ham has long been a star of the table, with some historians suggesting that the pig was a symbol of good luck in pre-Christian European traditions. The love for a Christmas ham dinner arrived in America with the pilgrims, becoming particularly popular in the US south, where pig farming flourished.A traditional Christmas ham is usually ham on the bone %u2013 either a shank or a slightly larger leg cut. The meat from bonein hams is usually more flavoursome and juicier than that from a boneless cut.A Christmas ham, or Yule ham, is a ham often served for Christmas dinner or during Yule in northern Europe and the Anglosphere. The style of preparation varies widely by place and time.Ham holds symbolic significance for many people during Easter. As a rich indulgent meat, it can represent the celebration of new life and the end of the Lenten season, during which many Christians abstain from certain luxuries.So, no matter what you plated up at Christmas, I simply hope you enjoyed it shared with family and friends. CantComment by BRENDON CANTHamming it up for Christmas and beyondHam bags splashed with water and vinegar are essential for keeping Christmas ham a little longer. A summer delight, ham with potato and egg salad.Leftover ham goes with almost anything %u2013 in this case, leftover Indian vindaloo curry.Ready to carve, delicious D%u2019Orsogna on-the-bone leg ham.Maybe a slightly overcooked Christmas porchetta, yet it made for great crackling.D%u2019Orsogna Premium Leg Ham Lightly Smoked with the bone in %u2013 simply bellissimo. Makes the author%u2019s Christmas Day and beyond every year.