The Ham Fair was established for the first time in the Middle Ages, or probably even before that as France has a long tradition of "cooked meats".

This was the great speciality of the Gauls. The herds of pigs in Gaul were admired by the Romans who enthusiastically documented the ham of Bayonne as well as the cooked meats of Cerdagne and of Franche-Comté, etc.

Staring in the Middle Ages, butchers from all over France would descend on Paris during Holy Week to
sell their produce. They set up around Notre-Dame where the largest customer presence could be found convinced that those attending services would become their faithful customers. The number of traders grew as time went by as anyone was able to become a butcher. The freedom for pigs to wander the streets was abolished by the king Louis the Fat (Louis Le Gros) after his son, Philip, fell from his horse and died following a collision with a pig. Only "Antonines" belonging to the Order of Saint Antony were still allowed to freely wander about. All others were gathered together and donated to the Hôtel-Dieu
for the sick. In 1451, regulations were introduced to this Foire aux Lards (as it had become known) and the meat of a poor quality was thrown into the Seine. As of 1500, the event became too important for its locale and, throughout the following years, the Fair
was taken to rue des Prouvaires, Place de l'Hôtel de Ville and Place de la Morgue (now called Place de la Concorde) respectively. In 1789 and during the Revolution and the Reign of Terror, the Foire aux Lards disappeared.

In 1804, it was re-introduced by decree under the name of the Ham Fair (Foire aux Jambons) and it was once again located in an area near Notre-Dame and Place de la Cité.

In 1813, a ruling meant that it was relocated to Quai de la Vallée (now known as Quai des Grands-Augustins); in 1832, rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin became home to this fair on the site of the former market store.

The Fair eventually established itself at boulevard Bourdon, in 1840. Numerous traders of bric-à-brac, old clothing and knick-knacks joined the fair.

The Flea Market (Foire à la Ferraille) was born and its fate would follow a similar path to that of the Ham Fair. It would also very quickly become more important than the Ham Fair.

In 1869, a police decree meant that the two markets has to relocate to the Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, which they would call home for almost a century, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday until 1940 and then, in the post-war period, twice a year, once in Spring and once in Autumn.