There are few foods that are more Spanish than ham. Alongside gazpacho and paella, it might just be the country’s most iconic food.
Spanish ham (jamón) is the one food that all Spaniards, by default of just being Spanish, have to like. Whenever I’ve heard a foreigner say they don’t like jamón, the response of every single Spaniard has been, “well then you haven’t tried the good stuff!”.
Because for Spaniards, there’s no way that anyone couldn’t like ham!
The “good stuff” is jamón ibérico de bellota, a melt-in-your-mouth, otherworldly ham experience. This is one of the world’s most sought-after foods, and holds records for its headache-inducing prices. The world’s most expensive legs of ham are these Spanish beauties, going for $4,500 each.
But before you reach this ridiculously delicious (and very expensive) level of Spanish ham, there is a plethora of styles, breeds, cures, and colors to choose from. Let’s break them down.
Spanish ham is the best thing that can happen to the back leg of a pig. Rather than cooking the ham, you make jamón by dry-curing the leg. After slaughter, the legs are trimmed and cleaned, and then stacked in a barrel full of salt. They’re left for roughly two weeks to drain as much moisture as possible!
After that, the salt is wiped off and the legs are left to hang and cure. It’s carved off of the bone and served alongside other cured meats, sausages, and cheeses as an appetizer.
The Spanish tradition of ham making dates back more than 2,000 years to when the Roman Empire controlled most of the country. Even to the exotic palates of the Romans, Spanish ham was a delicacy.
But for hundreds of years, cured ham legs were a specialty reserved only for royalty and clergy. It wasn’t until the 13th century that ham made its way to the everyman’s table. Today, the average Spaniard eats more than 7 pounds of cured ham per year!
]]>Dry cured hams have been produced throughout southern Europe for centuries. Spain, Portugal, Germany, France and Italy have highly valued hams employing a variety of breeds and curing methods.
The tradition of dry cured hams began in the south of the United States in the 17th Century, especially in Virginia and the Carolinas. The well known smoked hams from peanut fed pigs were produced in the Surry and Smithfield areas. The resulting hams from the several countries vary widely in flavor, aroma, texture and quality.
Country-style ham in America is a salt-cured and smoked ham that is traditionally prepared in rural sections of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vermont and other states. "Country ham" refers to a style, rather than a location.
Traditionally hogs for these hams were fed peanuts, beech nuts, hickory nuts, acorns and fruit to produce more flavorful and tender meat. This is seldom the case today when most pigs are raised in factory conditions. The hams are packed in salt, smoked over fragrant hardwoods, and aged at least six months. These hams are meant to be cooked before eating, and require of 24-48 hour soaking in water to leech out the excess salt.
Compared to other European hams, Spanish jamón has a more uniform texture, more intense flavor and is usually less moist because of the long curing stage. This is especially true of hams from acorn-fed Ibérico Bellota pigs.
By jamon.com
]]>Spain, a crossroads where peoples and races meet, a melting pot of cultures, is a place whose gastronomy constitutes one of the richest manifestations of its historical legacy.
Rich because of the many civilizations that have left their mark in the Spanish art of cooking and eating, with their traditional flavours and techniques; and also because of the climatic diversity, which makes possible the great variety of products that are the basis of our diet, one of the healthiest in the world, according to nutrition experts.
Certainly, Spain does have a privileged gastronomy.
Unique in the world, the Iberian pig breed provides the best meat to make salted and cured products, among which we must point out acorn-fed Iberian cured ham, an authentic culinary work or art, the most delicious and aromatic, which is able - with only one small shaving, although it is always advisable to have several - to fill our mouth with unforgettable sensations, very unlike those that we can get from any other ham
Jamón:
There is nothing more Spanish than jamón serrano. This country ham is a national treasure shared in Spain by all walks of life. Cured for at least a year, it has a much deeper flavor firmer texture than its closest relateive, Italian prosciutto. Serve as a 'Tapa' with cheese and olives, or in your favorite Spanish recipe.
In Spain there are numerous game species, the best ones from the gastronomic point of view. In addition, we cook their meat using our select ancestral recipes, which are famous in European gastronomy, such as the recipes described to be "a la mode d'Alcantara" and the ones used to prepare other innovative dishes, which will surprise those who try them for the first time.
By: Spain Recipes
]]>The story of Jamón Ibérico ham is steeped in mystery and romance. The ancient oak pastures of Spain, the noble black Ibérico pig, the mountain air which caresses each ham as it magically is transformed into one of the world's most exquisite foods - all play a part in this uniquely Spanish phenomenon. Without each ingredient the recipe is disturbed. Greatness can only be achieved with patience, skill and adherence to traditional methods.
The origin of the Iberico pig goes back millennia, even to the time of the cavemen who decorated the caves of Spain with their art. These are the original swine of Spain, tamed over the centuries. Only in the last couple of hundred years have the pink pigs of our imagination invaded their territory. The Iberico hog is big, with slender legs and a very long snout. Iberico pigs are black, with very little hair. They have black hooves as well, which is the source of the phrase “pata negra” which describes the black hoof that remains on the ham throughout the curing process and distinguishes it from a Serrano ham. They are also much fatter animals with veins of fat running through the muscle of the pig. This, along with the large amount of fat layering each ham, allows the Iberico hams to be cured much longer, resulting in a much more complex, intense flavor, with a note of sweetness that is unparalleled. Here we must make a very important point – not all Iberico pigs win the Jamon Iberico lottery and live free in the Spanish countryside. Most Jamon Iberico is made from Iberico pigs who live normal pig lives eating corn and other feed. It is still an excellent ham, benefiting from the noble lineage of the Iberico pig. But for the ultimate ham, you must add 'bellota', or acorns.
As an indication of the difference, Jamon Iberico de Bellota can cost twice as much as a normal Iberico ham. So note well the difference between the two main types of Iberico ham: there is Jamon Iberico, and then there is Jamon Iberico de Bellota, or acorn fed. If they are lucky enough to be destined for Bellota status, the Iberico pigs finish their lives on the Dehesa (more on this later), in small family clans, until their day of “sacrifice” arrives. The favorite pastime of Iberico hogs is rooting around the pastures in the Dehesa, foraging for acorns as well as herbs and grasses. All this running around feasting, especially during the acorn season, does more than make for a well rounded, happy pig. It makes for exquisitely marbled raw material, packed with natural antioxidants – a key ingredient for extended curing of the ham.
Which brings us to the humble acorn, known as the 'bellota'. Many centuries ago, the rulers of western Spain decreed that each town and village should create pastures studded with oak trees, called the Dehesa, for the long term stability of the region. This forest/pasture continues to serve many purposes. The Holm and cork oaks provide firewood for the people, shade for the plants and livestock, cork products, and acorns (bellota) during fall and winter. During the spring and summer, cattle and sheep graze the fields. During the fall and winter, when the acorns are falling from the trees, the pigs are released to fatten up. This ancient human-created ecosystem survives intact to this day. An aside: with the construction boom in modern Spain there has been pressure on the owners of the Dehesa to convert it into real estate for homes and apartments. The renaissance of the Iberico ham, which began less than thirty years ago, is a major ingredient in preserving this jewel of Spain for future generations. Iberico pigs love acorns. I mean they really love acorns. Each pig can eat ten kilos of acorns a day. When the pigs destined to be Bellota hams are released onto the Dehesa at the age of about 10 months they weigh in about 200 pounds each. The once svelte young pigs become gleeful plump pigs, gaining up to 2 pounds of fat each day. After 3 to 4 months of the period known as the ‘montanera’ each pig roughly doubles its weight. In the winter, once they have reached a certain weight, their time has arrived for the ‘sacrifice’ (Both male and female pigs participate in the montanera. All are neutered and spayed; the males to protect the quality of their meat, and the females to protect them from the attentions of wild boars from the mountains)
The 'matanza', or sacrifice, has traditionally been a family affair. A pig would be slaughtered and the whole family would gather to preserve the meat for the rest of the year. Chorizo, salchichón and morcilla sausages would be made on the spot. Choice cuts would be set aside to be eaten fresh. And the fatty legs would be packed in sea salt and hung to dry in the cool winter air. This process still continues in some towns as it has for thousands of years. And over the last century, family factories have begun curing these hams in large quantities using the same methods.
Iberico hams cure for two to four years. Iberico hams usually about two years, Iberico Bellota hams for longer periods. This extraordinarily long curing process is possible because of the huge amount of fat on each ham and, in the case of the Bellota hams, the antioxidant quality of their diets. Over the curing period they lose nearly half their weight as the fat drips away. An incredible transformation occurs as the winter moves to spring and summer. The salted ham starts to sweat. Because of the salt, bacteria cannot take hold, but massive chemical changes occur. The meat becomes dryer, and cools off as the second winter commences. The special aspect of Iberico is that it can go through this cycle two or three times. The result is a build up of complex, volatile molecules in the ham that transform it from a piece of pork into an orchestra of flavors. With the Bellota hams, the most miraculous transformation is of the fats. Through this period of heating and cooling, salting and drying, the fats are broken down. Because of the antioxidants in the acorns and the unique curing process, the saturated fats are changed into healthy mono-unsaturated fats high in oleic acid. The only fat higher in oleic acid is olive oil.
The ultimate result is a long, thin leg of ham with a deep golden hue to its fat. The meat is dark red and well marbled. We had an incredible experience in the city of Caceres. There Pedro Lancho, the owner of Encinar de Cabazón, served us a feast fit for a king. The highlight was when the professional waiter at his favorite restaurant brought out plates of his Gran Reserva Jamón Ibérico de Bellota. It was served in paper thin slices on a plate that was warmed to about 75 degrees. At that temperature the fat literally melted onto the plate. On first bite, the flavor of the ham was incredible. Sweet, nutty, and not too salty. Then the complexity of ham flavors increased. An essential part of the flavor and mouth-feel was the way the fat melted away, releasing flavors that told the story of the noble Iberico swine, of the Dehesa forest pasture, of the years of careful curing, and of the countryside of Spain itself.
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We are proud to offer you the authentic Serrano. Our high quality Fermin Serrano products are made from pigs born, raised and processed in Spain. Our pigs are older, heavier and fattier than the pigs from North Europe. This helps us to guarantee a superior quality. This means more complex and flavorful product to you. Here in La Alberca, Spain, a Natural Reserve declared a World Heritage, we only use only artisanal methods. Because we are committed to maintain our quality and traditions, we also extend the natural curing process. All our boneless pieces are cured for a minimum of 15 and our bone-in for a minimum of 18 months. For all of these reasons we like to call it Fermín Ham.
Tasting notes: Great color, aroma and tasty on the palate. Perfect to enjoy by itself, on a charcuterie board, tapa or to add into any breakfast, lunch or dinner recipe. Pairs great with a Spanish beer, Albariño Wine, Jerez or a Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero or Rioja regions (including a Rioja Blanco).
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