Demystifying Subway’s Ham Options: Your Guide to Their Delicious Ham Varieties

As one of the largest fast food chains in the world, Subway offers an extensive menu featuring a wide variety of ingredients. One of their most popular sandwich fillings is ham – but what types of ham does Subway actually offer?

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the different hams you’ll find at Subway, discussing their flavors, qualities, and nutritional values. Read on to get the inside scoop on everything from Black Forest Ham to Capicola!

Overview of Ham at Subway

Subway uses premium quality pre-cooked and pre-sliced hams for their sandwiches. They offer both classic deli-style hams as well as more gourmet Italian-style cured hams.

Some locations may have regional or seasonal ham varieties too. But in general these are the main hams available at Subway restaurants globally

• Black Forest Ham
• Smoked Ham
• Honey Ham
• Roasted Ham
• Italian Capicola
• Italian Bresaola

Now let’s take a closer look at each type of Subway ham and what makes it unique.

Black Forest Ham – A Subway Classic

Arguably the most popular ham at Subway, Black Forest Ham has been on their menu since the beginning. It’s made from pork that is cured, smoked, and sliced very thin.

Authentic Black Forest Ham hails from the Black Forest region of Germany. It’s dry-cured and beechwood-smoked over pine and fir trees. This imparts a distinctive smoky, hearty flavor.

Subway’s version provides a good balance of smokiness and saltiness. At 18g protein per 6-inch serving, it’s one of their most protein-rich ham options too.

Smoked Ham for Extra Flavor

Smoked Ham is another classic sliced ham offering at Subway. It provides an extra punch of smoky flavor compared to the Black Forest Ham.

While less specific on the origin, Subway’s Smoked Ham likely comes from various regions. It is dry-cured and smoked over hardwoods like hickory, applewood, maple, and oak.

Smoked Ham has a deep reddish-pink color from the curing and smoking process. The flavor profile combines smoky, salty, and subtly sweet notes.

Honey Ham for a Touch of Sweetness

If you like a hint of sweetness with your ham, try Subway’s Honey Ham. It starts with cured and smoked deli-style ham layered with a honey mixture.

The honey sauce contains honey (of course), brown sugar, mustard, and various spices. It infuses the ham with a lightly sweet, glistening glaze.

Honey Ham is an especially nice choice if you add crunchy veggies like peppers or pickles. The sweet and savory flavors complement each other beautifully.

Roasted Ham for Hearty Flavor

Roasted Ham is another excellent choice at Subway. It’s made from cured ham that is oven-roasted for extra succulence and flavor development.

The roasting process cooks the ham gently and evenly throughout. This renders some of the fat while concentrating the natural ham flavors.

Subway’s Roasted Ham has a robust pork flavor and supple yet meaty texture. It’s a great choice if you like some extra heartiness in your ham sandwich.

Capicola for an Italian-Style Cured Ham

If you want to venture beyond the standard sliced ham, try Subway’s Capicola. Also known as gabagool or coppa, it’s an Italian-style dry-cured ham made from pork shoulder or neck.

Capicola undergoes a salt-curing aging process that concentrates the flavors and deepens the color to rich ruby red. It has a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

The flavor is more intensely porky with a touch of spice from black pepper, paprika, garlic, and red wine. It makes a perfect upscale addition to any Subway sandwich.

Bresaola for a Lean, Beefy Ham

For a lower-fat, non-pork ham option, go for Subway’s Bresaola. This air-dried Italian cured ham is made from beef round rather than pork.

The beef is salted, spiced, air-dried, and aged to concentrate the flavors. Bresaola has a deep garnet-red color and savory, subtly spicy taste.

With its super lean cut of beef, Bresaola contains around 4.5g fat per serving compared to 12-15g for pork-based hams. It’s an excellent choice for a lighter Italian-style sandwich.

Nutritional Values of Subway’s Hams

All of Subway’s premium hams provide good amounts of protein per serving. A 6-inch sandwich generally contains between 15-18g protein depending on the variety.

Here is a nutritional comparison of Subway’s main ham options:

As you can see, the Italian cured hams like Capicola and Bresaola contain a bit more fat than the conventional sliced hams. But all varieties provide good amounts of protein.

Tips for Ordering Ham at Subway

Now that you’re a ham expert, here are some tips for ordering the tastiest ham sandwich at Subway:

• For a classic mild flavor, go with Black Forest Ham
• Choose Smoked Ham when you want extra smoky flavor
• Add Honey Ham for a touch of sweetness
• Pick Roasted Ham for hearty, robust flavor
• Try Capicola or Bresaola for upscale Italian-style ham
• Ask for ham to be added after toasting for the best texture
• Get extra ham for more meaty bites in every sandwich

Pair your ham with crisp veggies, melty cheese, zesty sauces, and your favorite bread to craft your perfect Subway sandwich.

The Takeaway on Subway’s Ham

With such a great variety of ham choices from classic to gourmet, Subway has something to satisfy every taste preference. Their premium hams deliver authentic flavor and provide nutritious protein too.

So next time you visit Subway, try branching out and experiment with a new ham variety beyond the standard Black Forest. From the smoky intensity of Roasted Ham to the refined flavors of Italian Capicola, you have lots of delicious options for crafting the ultimate ham sandwich.