When you think of Noche Buena, hamon is always there. Sweet, tender, and familiar, it has long been part of how Filipinos celebrate Christmas. Introduced during Spanish colonization as a preserved pork dish, hamon slowly became more than a holiday centerpiece.
Before refrigerators, Filipinos preserved food through drying and curing. Hamon entered our kitchens as a method of preservation and slowly became a centerpiece of celebration. From heirloom recipes to factory made ham found in groceries today, this episode of Patikim looks at how hamon changed with time while remaining part of our shared food memory.
