Jamón Ibérico, or Spanish ham, Serrano or Iberian is a product made according to traditional craftsmanship, tasty and ideal for a healthy and balanced diet for its nutritional properties.
Spain is currently the largest producer and consumer of ham. It produces about 38.5 million hams a year, and every Spaniard eats almost 5 kg of ham a year (double of Italy, the second largest consumer).
TYPES OF HAM
We must differentiate between the native black Iberian pig and the non-native white pigs. The Iberian pig provides the highest quality products for the special feature of infiltrating fat between the veins of lean meat, which contributes to ham aroma and delicate flavor. These pigs are reed thin, sleek silhouette and a dark nails, from black to gray.
On the other hand, there is the white pig, which has been replacing the Iberian as a result of earlier flowering and better adaptation to prime intensive farms. This pig breeds currently admitted for the preparation of hams with a designation of origin are Landrace, Large White (mother line) and Duroc (father line), all favoring the infiltration of fat in the ham meat.
IBERIAN HAM (known as "pata negra")
Jamón ibérico, Iberian ham, also called pata negra, is a type of cured ham produced mostly in Spain, but also in some Portuguese regions where it is called presunto ibérico. It is at least 75% black Iberian pig, also called pata negra (literally, black leg). According to Spain's Denominación de Origen rules on food products, the jamón ibérico may be made from cross-bred pigs as long as they are at least 75% ibérico.
The black Iberian pig lives primarily in the south and southwest parts of Spain. Immediately after weaning the piglets are fattened on barley and corn for several weeks. The pigs are then allowed to roam in pasture and oak groves to feed naturally on grass, herbs, acorns, and roots, until the slaughtering time approaches. At that point the diet may be strictly limited to acorns for the best quality jamón ibérico, or may be a mix of acorns and commercial feed for ham of lesser quality.
Hams have a cured process that can range between eighteen and twenty-four months as follows:
The hams are labeled according to the pigs' diet, with an acorn diet being most desirable:
- The finest jamón ibérico is called jamón ibérico de bellota (acorn). This ham is from free-range pigs that roam oak forests (called la dehesa) along the border between Spain and Portugal, and eat only acorns during this last period. It is also known as Jamón Iberico de Montanera. The exercise and the diet has a significant impact on the flavor of the meat; the ham is cured for 36 months.
- The next grade of jamón ibérico is called jamón ibérico de recebo. This ham is from pigs that are pastured and fed a combination of acorns and grain.
- The third type of jamón ibérico is called jamón ibérico de cebo, or simply, jamón ibérico. This ham is from pigs that are fed only grain. The ham is cured for 24 months.
SERRANO HAM (known as "pata blanca")
The Serrano ham is the bag leg of the pork obtained under appropriate conditions of slaughter and butchering of the animal and subjected to a salting process - drying and ripening under well-defined conditions.
The result is a stable meat product, of great sensory and nutritional qualities.
Ham prices can range from 6 € to 100 € / kg depending on the breed of pig, their diet and the production area.