The glazed spiral ham is a savory dish that people enjoy on Easter, Christmas, and many other special occasions throughout the year. Now, it has its own holiday—a holiday known as National Glazed Spiral Ham Day. This day is observed annually on April 15th and encourages everyone to go out and get themselves a glazed spiral ham.

And why shouldn’t you? This ham has been around since the 1950s and has become a central part of many American holiday celebrations. Just make sure that while you’re celebrating this holiday, you also pick up some delicious sides, such as roasted or mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole.

The History of the Glazed Spiral Ham

Before we delve into the history of the glazed spiral ham, let us briefly mention that the process of making a ham from a leg cut is something that humans have been doing for a long time. And when we say a long time, we mean thousands upon thousands of years. In fact, Cato the Elder wrote about the “salting of the hams” in his De Agri Cultura book as far back as 160 B.C. So, hams have been around for a while.

Spiral hams haven’t been around as long, however. The spiral slicing machine was first invented in 1952 by Harry J. Hoenselaar. Five years later, he would found HoneyBaked Ham, and for a long time, this company was the only one that provided spiral-cut glazed hams. That was until 1981 when Hoenselaar’s patent expired. Now, glazed spiral hams are sold in grocery stores all across the U.S. and abroad.

Observing National Glazed Spiral Ham Day

You probably know what we’re going to say. If you want to enjoy this holiday, then grab yourself a glazed spiral ham. Like we said, just make sure to get some great sides to go with it. Also, don’t forget to use the hashtag #NationalGlazedSpiralHamDay on your social media posts.