Ham is a kind of pork made by curing, smoking or wet curing. Traditionally, it is made only from the hind legs of pigs and refers to specific pieces of pork. Ham is produced all over the world, including many coveted regional specialties, such as Westphalia ham and some Spanish jam. Technically speaking, processed meat "ham" refers to the products that have been mechanically reformed.

The exact nature of meat, known as "ham," is often controlled by many regulations, including those of the United States and the European Union. In addition, many ham products have specific geographical name protection, such as prosciutto Di Parma and prosciutto Toscano PDO in Europe and Smithfield ham in the United States.