Cooked ham has ancient origins, with the Romans being credited as the first to develop the cooking technique for this meat derived from the pig's leg. The process involved boiling the meat with dried figs and bay leaves, then coating it with honey and baking it in a crust. It's possible that the Roman legionnaires learned the art of cooking ham from the Gauls, Lombards, or other barbarian populations gradually absorbed into the empire. Notably, the regions known for producing the finest cooked ham (due to their longstanding tradition) are Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria, and Emilia-Romagna.

Organic cooked ham is obtained from the same leg used for making cured ham. It is cut in front of the femur, without the foot, and deboned. The hams are then placed in special molds that give them their characteristic pressed pear shape. They undergo a steaming "cooking" process, followed by cooling and packaging.