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Gammon

Pork · Leg
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The British cured-leg-of-pork tradition — the rear leg of the pig is wet-cured (brined) or dry-cured, then sold raw to be cooked at home. Once boiled, baked, or glazed-and-roasted, it becomes "cooked ham." Uniquely British as a category: distinct from fresh leg of pork (uncured), from Italian prosciutto / Spanish jamón ibérico / French Bayonne / German Schwarzwälder (air-cured-and-aged hams eaten raw), and from American "ham" (which usually refers to the cooked product, not the raw cured joint). Available smoked or unsmoked, on the bone or boneless, as steaks or as whole joints. Christmas-dinner gammon — boiled then baked with a clove-and-mustard glaze — is one of the cornerstones of British festive cooking.

Raw Gammon — Pork Leg cut

Names by country

CountryNameNotes
🇬🇧United KingdomGammonprimaryWet-cured or dry-cured raw leg of pork, sold to be cooked at home. Becomes "ham" once cooked. Distinct British category, not interchangeable with prosciutto or jamón ibérico.

Similar cuts

Leg of porkclose

Same anatomy — gammon is the cured form of the fresh leg of pork. Curing alone (without long air-drying) is what distinguishes gammon from European raw-cured hams; cooking is what distinguishes gammon from cooked ham.

Prosciutto crudoapproximate

Both cured pork legs, but gammon is brined (or dry-cured short-term) and eaten cooked, while prosciutto is dry-cured and air-aged 12–36 months and eaten raw. Different traditions, different finished products.

Schwarzwälder Schinkenapproximate

Both cured European pork legs, but Black Forest ham is cold-smoked over fir and eaten raw, while gammon is wet-cured (sometimes lightly smoked) and eaten cooked.

Jambon de Bayonneapproximate

Both cured European pork legs, but Bayonne is dry-cured and air-aged for raw consumption, while gammon is brined for cooked consumption.

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