Why Do We Speak Of A Cured Ham AS Being Baked And A Fresh Ham As Being Roasted Or Braised?

I just recently received an E-mail that asked that question.
The simple honest answer is that the average person does not know the difference between baking, braising and roasting; there fore they use which ever term they think sounds best;  that they have heard other people use, or read in Amerfiction Cookbooks. 

Yes, a ham may be cured, or fresh, but, probably the majority of North Americans tend to think only of the cured version as ham.To further answer the question; I have never seen a cured ham broiled/roasted on a spit. They are usually covered with a sweet glaze; then baked, MORE OFTEN braised, in an oven. Or, they may be prepared in a covered broiler, using reflected heat; which of course converts the broiler into an oven.
Just in case any of you were wandering, the Hawaiian pit method of cooking a whole pig is not barbecue, broiling, or roasting--the pig is steam braised, using a method that is almost identical to that used to steam sea-food.

Contrarily, fresh ham is often thought of only as pork--is often broiled/roasted on a spit--and is basted with cooking juices but not glazed.
SEE DEFINITIONS: BARBECUE, BRAISE BROIL, ROAST,

©Al (Alex- Alexander) D. Girvan 1995. All rights reserved