“Kulang ang pasko kung walang hamon.” That statement maybe an over-generalization but you’ve got to admit it, you’ve heard it uttered maybe by someone you know, in the movies, in tv show interviews, or you may have even said it yourself.
Many Filipinos, especially those who can afford a little luxury, want and expect to have a Christmas ham serve during Noche Buena. For them, the holiday celebration just isn’t complete without the presence of smoked or cured ham on Christmas eve. Having ham on the dining table also signifies that medyo nakakaraos ka sa buhay kasi afford mo, kahit one time lang, kahit tuwing pasko lang.
Yes, Christmas ham is still considered a luxury product that many Filipinos only partake once a year. This is because they are a bit pricey, usually ranging from P200 to P2,000 and higher. Not to mention that many of these special hams are only widely available during the ‘ber’ months.
The Christmas ham is very popular that one ham manufacturer tagged this product as the “Star of the Noche Buena Feast”.
Now, it is not only individuals who buys ham for Christmas, big companies too, to give-away to their employees. Mas masaya ang Pasko kung may hamon na libre, di ba?. 🙂
For the history buff, it is interesting to note that it was the Spaniards who brought the ham tradition for the Christmas dinner tables, to the Philippines. Then this Christmas food tradition was eventually copied by the wealthy natives of that time and then passed on generation to generation. And today the presence of ham has truly become a part of Paskong Pinoy celebration.
Although, the ham that the Spaniards feast on then is way different than the ham most of us consumes now, which mostly came from the supermarkets and ham specialty stores.
Buy or Make Your Own Ham
There are Filipinos who makes their own hams months before December but majority buys from the supermarkets. Biggest ham brands include Purefoods, CDO, Swift, Excelente, Virginia, King Sue, Pampanga’s Best, Adelina, Majestic, and many more. There are also online sellers who offers their own homemade special hams for the holiday season.
Hams come in different forms, there are ball, pear-shape, and square hams, whole and sliced hams, bone-in and scraps, glazed, smoke, cured, pineapple flavored, etc. Meats used also differ but most popular are pork and chicken hams.
Christmas Ham Prices Philippines
This 2020 several ham manufacturers have written to DTI or the Department of Trade and Industry about their intention to raise their prices. One company submitted proposal to increase as much as P49 per kilo. Another company wishes to increase price from 10 to 20 per kilo. The cited reasons include increasing raw materials and manufacturing costs.
The following are the prices of popular hams in the Philippines as of our last check. Price may increase, so we recommend that you contact the ham manufacturer directly or visit the nearest supermarket to check on updated 2020 Christmas hams prices.
*Authentic Chinese hams are usually more expensive. Pear-shaped and Jamon de bola varieties are usually the least expensive.
Purefoods Fiesta Ham P525 per kilo
Purefoods Chicken Ham P399 per 1 kilo
CDO Premium Boneless Hind Leg Ham P525 per kilo
CDO Jamon de Bola P269 for 850 grams
Swift Festival Ham P525 per kilo
Excelente Chinese Cooked Ham P1,300 per kilo
Adelina’s Boneless Ham P1,360 per kilo
*Usually one whole ham weights more than a kilo so be ready with at least P1,500 when you visit Excelente or Adelina’s.
Virginia Pineapple Ball Ham P409 per kilo
Virginia Pear Shaped Ham P169 per 500 grams
Buy Early!
It’s better to buy a week before Christmas or earlier. Shelf life of hams is usually around 90 days, refrigerated. If you will purchase the day before Christmas, you may not find any left on the shelves. Beat the Christmas rush, buy hams early.
If you are planning to buy from a seller who works from their home kitchen, place your reservation or order months ahead.
However, this year when we are reeling from the economic effects of the pandemic, some Filipino households may skip ham this Christmas 2020 in favor of the much-needed basic goods. But ham or no ham, may the spirit of Christmas descend upon each of our heart and home this coming holiday season. Maligayang Pasko sa lahat!
Paskong Pinoy will update the prices of Christmas ham once more options are available in the local supermarket and also as soon as DTI publishes SRP prices for this popular Christmas food.
[…] Read more about Filipinos love for Christmas Ham for Noche Buena and Media Noche. […]