JAMóN IBéRICO

'Jamón ibérico' is a type of jamón (cured ham produced only in Spain). It is made from the Black Iberian Pig (also called the ''cerdo negro'' or black pig), the only breed of pig that naturally seeks, opens and eats mainly acorns, although according to Spain's ''Denominación de Origen'' rules on food products, jamón ibérico may be made from cross-bred pigs as long as they are at least 75% ''ibérico''.
The Black Iberian Pig live primarily in the south and southwest parts of Spain, including the provinces of Salamanca, Ciudad Real, Cáceres, Badajoz, Seville, Córdoba and Huelva. Immediately post-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 lesser qualities. This is described in more detail below.

Contents

Classification

Curing

See also

References

External links

Classification

The hams are labeled according to the pigs' diet, with an acorn diet being most desirable:

★ First-class jamón ibérico is called 'Jamón ibérico de bellota'. ''Bellota'' is Spanish for "acorn". These hams come from pigs fed only acorns during this last period. They are also known as Jamón Iberico de Montanera.

★ Second-class jamón ibérico is called 'Jamón ibérico de recebo'. These are from pigs fed a combination of acorns and grain.

★ Third-class jamón ibérico is called 'Jamón ibérico de pienso' or may simply be called 'Jamón ibérico'. These are from pigs fed only grain.
The term ''pata negra'' is also used to refer to jamón ibérico in general and may refer to any one of the above three types.
''Bellota'' jamones are prized both for their smooth texture and rich savory taste. A feature of good ibérico ham are the regular flecks of intramuscular fat in the slices of ham. Because of the pigs diet of acorns, much of the jamón's fat is comprised of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid that has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol.

Curing

The hams from the slaughtered pigs are salted and left to begin drying for two weeks, after which they are rinsed and left to dry for another four to six weeks. The curing process then takes about nine months, although some producers cure their jamones ibéricos for over two years.
The ibérico hams from the town of Jabugo in the Huelva province is particularly well-renowned for producing ibérico hams of consistently high quality. Practically the entire town is devoted to the production of ''Jamón Ibérico'', where the biggest producer is ''5J Sánchez Romero Carvajal''; the main square is even called ''La plaza del Jamón'' (meaning The Ham Square).

Jamón ibérico only accounts for about 5% of Spain's cured-ham production, so it is very expensive and is seldom exported.

See also

★ Jamón

★ Jamón serrano

★ Pata negra

References

★ Barrenechea, Teresa. ''The Cuisines of Spain''. Ten Speed Press, 2005. ISBN 1580085156

External links

★ Cured ham of Trevélez with Denomination of Quality production in Spain

★ Iberian ham production in Spain

★ "Castles, Caves and Prized Pigs in Southern Spain" by Christopher Clarey, ''The New York Times'', November 6, 2005