Is the red substance leaking out of the ham bone blood or marrow?

Question

We had already eaten the ham and I was boiling the bone for soup. I noticed a red substance oozing out of a hole in the cooking bone. There did not appear to be a large vein near the hole, so I would like to know if this was bone marrow or blood.

Answer 1

From the information you have given, I am almost certain that what you are describing is the bone marrow, found inside the pig equivalent of the femur bone. The bone marrow of pork has a very rich and meaty flavor and described as greasy/fatty by some. Its a delicacy, some people even eat bone marrow as a main dish, like ossobuco.

Whilst bone marrow is not blood, it does produce red blood cells, so if you are avoiding eating blood due to religious or cultural reasons, you might want to ask someone else for further advice.