Eating Ham for Easter Dinner (and lots of Peeps)

Have you ever wondered why ham is so often eaten on Easter? According to Bruce Kraig, founder of Culinary Historians of Chicago and author of "Man Bites Dog," the tradition dates back to Germany in at least the sixth century. He, and many others, believe that since pigs are naturally forested animals, foraging on acorns, roots and pest-free grass in the fall (just like Terre Noire Farms pigs), it made sense to slaughter the pigs in autumn. The animals were then left to "cure" through the winter and were one of the few meats available to eat in early spring. Additionally, since Easter celebrations often are large gatherings, a full ham (typically 15-20 pounds of meat) provided enough food to feed the masses.

I tried to do a quick internet search to see exactly how many hams were sold in a typical Easter season. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything showing amount spent just on hams. All of the information I found lumped the total amount of money on Easter-related items. For what it's worth, in 2018, Americans are estimated to spend $18.2 billion on Easter-related items, including clothes, food, candy and decorations. For perspective, $1.5 billion will be spent on the 43 different varieties and flavors of Peeps! (who knew there were 43 flavors??)

Happy Easter!