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How Much Ham per Person Calculator

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Christmas ham - the originsHow to calculate how many lbs of ham per person do I need?

Our how much ham per person calculator can answer all the most crucial dinner questions: 🍖

  • How much meat per person should I prepare?
  • How big a ham for 12 adults?
  • How many pounds of ham per person should I buy?

If any of these questions have been in your head recently, you've found just the right place! We'll help you calculate your ham portion per person and let you know about the most exciting facts concerning the Christmas ham. 🎄

Christmas ham - the origins

The most popular version of the Christmas ham history includes Germanic pagan rituals and a wild boar 🐗 that was killed and eaten in the name of the god named Freyr - a guardian of true masculinity and a plentiful harvest.

Like many other traditions, this one was also adopted by Christianity, and nowadays hundreds of millions of people around the world enjoy the taste of a freshly-prepared, honey-glazed Christmas ham (you can get hungry even by just reading about it!).

This tradition started in the Anglo-Saxon cultural circle, so no wonder why the ham tradition is the most popular in countries like the USA, UK or Australia.

But have you ever wondered what do other nations eat for Christmas? 🤔

  • 🍗 Fried chicken - you've probably guessed it right - it's Japan! When the KFC franchise chain became increasingly popular in Japan during the '70s, their marketing branch had an ingenious idea to create a new Christmas tradition. The idea clicked, and nowadays, Japanese people can enjoy one of the most unusual Christmas dishes around the world!

  • 🐟 Fish - this one's a little tricky - it's Poland. European carp became the most iconic polish Christmas Eve dish after the World War II period due to the ease of its breeding. Carp makes one of the traditional 12 dishes that must be served during one dinner to bring luck and prosperity to the entire household.

  • Tamalas, a tradition original to Costa Rica. A magical mixture of cornmeal, meat, onions, potatoes, wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. That's something really extraordinary!

  • 🦆 Duck - found in France, served with oranges and followed by a traditional cake, Bûche de Noël (the Christmas log).

  • 🐦 A golden goose - traditional for Germany, stuffed with apples, prunes, or cranberry. Germans usually serve this juicy bird alongside sauerkraut, red cabbage, and thick dumplings.

What about your Christmas traditions? Are they even more extraordinary? 🤩 Rate our ham calculator and let us know about the tastiest Christmas dish that your country knows!

In the meantime, you may prepare for another big party by looking at our taco bar calculator 🌮 or the pizza party tool.

How to calculate how many lbs of ham per person do I need?

Our little how much ham do I need per person calculator uses the following assumptions:

  • An average person needs 0.45 lb (0.2 kg) of a boneless ham.
  • If you chose to use a bone-in ham, you'd need 0.65 lb (0.3 kg) per person. 🥩

💡 If you'd like to know exactly how long you should cook your ham, check our ham cooking time calculator.

The ham size calculations that you need to perform are relatively straightforward:

For the boneless ham:

Ham size = No. of people × 0.45 lb

For the bone-in ham:

Ham size = No. of people × 0.65 lb

Let's check this theory out by preparing a feast for a 12-people family.

12 people × 0.45 lb = 5.4 lb

So we need 5.4 lb of a boneless ham, or:

12 people × 0.65 lb = 7.8 lb

we should buy 7.8 lb of the bone-in ham.

🦃 So now you know the answer to how much ham do I need to feed 12 people, it's time to prepare for the next Thanksgiving by checking our turkey tools, such as turkey size or the turkey cooking time calculator!

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