Sally Savoie stocks the meat counter at Simoneaud’s East with ham steaks in preparation for the Easter holidays. KARMA CHAMPAGNE / THE DAILY IBERIAN

The sweet aroma of an old-fashion holiday ham baking in the oven is all that is needed to make memories surface of holidays gone by and those special Easter celebrations at grandma’s house.

The holiday ham will be the centerpiece of many Easter tables this Sunday as Teche Area families gather to create their own special memorable meals.

While the old-fashioned freshly cut ham has been an all-time favorite on Easter tables for years, many cooks are looking for a faster version and turning to the pre-cooked, spiral sliced hams.

“We always see an increase in the sale of hams during the Easter week. We are selling more of the spiral sliced hams. They cook faster and are pre-sliced in a spiral fashion so it is easy to serve,” said Shawn Gary, meat department manager at Simoneaud’s East.

“The freshly cut hams are not as popular as they once were, since people have less time for cooking. Of course, you still have the older cooks who’ve always cooked a freshly cut ham and believe it is the tastiest.”

With so many different ham cuts, it often becomes just a matter of personal choice. The spiral slice ham, half ham, semi-boneless ham, skinless shankless ham, portioned ham, ham steaks and thick cut ham steaks makes it difficult to select the perfect ham for the perfect meal.

Sally Savoie, an employee of Simoneaud’s meat department, said she always turns to a picnic ham when it is time to prepare for an Easter celebration.

“I just like to bake a picnic ham in the oven without any type of glaze. The flavor is in the bone and that’s all you need,” she said.

Rebecca Wiltz, a meat wrapper at Simoneaud’s, chooses the spiral cut ham with a savory glaze for her family’s Easter celebration. Customizing a ham with one of the sweet and spicy glazes always make an Easter ham special, she said.

“I do cheat a bit. Instead of making my own glaze, I usually buy one that is already prepared. They have so many good and different flavors in the prepared glazes. Add a side dish of rice dressing and green bean casserole and you have a perfect Easter meal,” she said.

Glazes are varied and the choices are wide open for cooks. With a little creativity the taste of a ham can be changed with a flavorful glaze. Wether it is a glaze of apple-maple, mustard-orange, pineapple-apricot or one made with spice powders, the choice is all up to the cook.

Gary said ham steaks heat up in minutes for a quick and tasty meal and are popular any time of the year.

“We have a lot of customers who like to purchase the ham slices for seasonings,” he said.

“For many cooks, the seasoning is what makes the dish special.”