Turkey ham facts for kids
Turkey ham is a tasty, ready-to-eat food. It's a type of processed meat made from cooked or cured turkey meat. It also contains water and other ingredients that help hold it together. Good news for some: turkey ham never has any pork in it! Many companies in the United States make and sell turkey ham under different brand names. It was first created around 1975 by a company called Jennie-O.
Contents
What is Turkey Ham?
Turkey ham is a processed meat product. It's mostly made from cooked or cured turkey meat and water. It's shaped like a traditional ham and often sold already sliced. You can eat it cold or heat it up, making it a quick and easy meal.
How is Turkey Ham Made?
Turkey ham is made from turkey meat, often from the thigh. This meat can be deboned by machines. Even though it's called "turkey ham," it does not contain any actual ham or pork.
Some turkey ham products have extra water added. This makes them moister and heavier. They might also include "binders." These are ingredients that help the moisture and fat stay together, making the texture better. Sometimes, turkey ham is flavored to taste like regular ham.
Turkey ham usually has about 5 percent fat. Some types are even made to be fat-free. You can typically find turkey hams in two sizes: whole or half-sized.
Some companies in the U.S. that make turkey ham include Butterball, Cargill, Jennie-O, Louis Rich, Norbest, and Oscar Mayer.
The Story of Turkey Ham
Turkey ham was created by the company Jennie-O. They first introduced it to people in America in 1975. Making turkey ham was a big success for Jennie-O. This new processed meat brought in ten times more money than just selling unprocessed turkey thighs!
What's in a Name? (Labeling Turkey Ham)
Around 1980, a group called the American Meat Institute (AMI) tried to stop the use of the name "turkey ham." They felt it was misleading because the product is 100% turkey and has no ham. Some ham makers in the U.S. also disagreed with the name.
Around that time, the U.S. government started requiring turkey ham makers to put the words "cured turkey thigh meat" on the packaging. So, if you look at a package of turkey ham today, you will likely see "cured turkey thigh meat" written right after "turkey ham."
Images for kids
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Jennie-O brand turkey ham. Jennie-O first introduced turkey ham to U.S. consumers in 1975.
