Copyright © 2009 Maestro Cortador Filipino - Aviso Legal
| Jamón - Spanish Cured Ham |
Spain is famous for its cured hams: 39 millions hams are cured annually,
whilst the average Spaniard eats nearly 5 kilos of ham per year. Spanish
cured ham is appreciated by foreigners although many times they don’t
understand the many differences in prices and qualities. What is exactly
Jamón Ibérico? Is there a difference with Jamón de Bellota? And what is
Jamón de Pata Negra? In this article we'll talk it. We’ll also identify the
different regions with a protected name, the so called "denominaciones".
Let’s first take a look at the pig it all begins with - the so called Cerdo Ibérico
(Iberian pig) is also called Pata Negra, because of its distinguishing grey
colour, opposite to the other races “white pigs”. A white pig can be of
different races, such as Duroc, Landrace, Large White and Jersey, whilst
the Iberian pig is a race on itself, although one of its four grandfathers may
be a Duroc or Jersey. Currently, 90% of the Spanish ham production comes
from white pigs and only 10% from Iberian pig. Another difference is that the
Iberian pigs weighs less and their meat has a refined taste, although much
depends on what they eat.
The most influential factor on the final quality of the ham is the feeding of the
pig. Best hams come from Iberian pigs that have been eating acorns (Bellota)
all their live. From October until January / February these pigs are left in
complete liberty on the ‘Dehesa’, the countryside where they paste acorns.
This period is called “montanera” after which the pigs are ready for
slaughter.
After slaughter, the hams are immersed in nitrified salts to help dry and
preserve them. The of this immersion duration depends on the ham’s weight:
1-2 days for each kilo, which usually works out to be 9-14 days. Then the
salt is washed off and the hams are hung to dry during 30-45 days, at a
temperature between 8º-10ºC and a relative humidity of 80%. This period is
called “asentamiento”, a slow process during which the ham loses water
and the salt gets absorbed and spread homogeneously through all parts of
the ham.
During the following 6 to 15 months, the curing process really starts and the
ham changes to a deep red colour and gains the typical aromas of the cured
meat. During the curing process, the temperature needs to be between one
and five degrees with very low humidity. In earlier days, hams were taking
to the mountains in order to meet the right temperature and humidity. The
village of Trevelez in the Alpujarras is the living example of this tradition
where you can visit the “secaderos” – dry houses. The last 3-4 weeks of
this process is called “maduracion”: hams are exposed to temperatures of
around 30º with a relative humidity of 60%. This way, the fats get well
spread into the muscle fibres of the ham.
Most of the hams lost a 40% of their original weight during mentioned
processes and get sold now. Only the best hams stay between 7-13 months
more in “bodegas” for an additional curation, called “añejado”, during which
the ham gains even more taste. Competing countries like France or Italy don’t
apply this “añejado” process and therefore those hams are recognized by
experts to be world’s best.
Please note that above indicated process will differ depending on the weight
of the ham and also of the interpretations, experience and secrets of each
ham-maker. Now let’s take a look at the different ham you may encounter in
Spain:
whilst the average Spaniard eats nearly 5 kilos of ham per year. Spanish
cured ham is appreciated by foreigners although many times they don’t
understand the many differences in prices and qualities. What is exactly
Jamón Ibérico? Is there a difference with Jamón de Bellota? And what is
Jamón de Pata Negra? In this article we'll talk it. We’ll also identify the
different regions with a protected name, the so called "denominaciones".
Let’s first take a look at the pig it all begins with - the so called Cerdo Ibérico
(Iberian pig) is also called Pata Negra, because of its distinguishing grey
colour, opposite to the other races “white pigs”. A white pig can be of
different races, such as Duroc, Landrace, Large White and Jersey, whilst
the Iberian pig is a race on itself, although one of its four grandfathers may
be a Duroc or Jersey. Currently, 90% of the Spanish ham production comes
from white pigs and only 10% from Iberian pig. Another difference is that the
Iberian pigs weighs less and their meat has a refined taste, although much
depends on what they eat.
The most influential factor on the final quality of the ham is the feeding of the
pig. Best hams come from Iberian pigs that have been eating acorns (Bellota)
all their live. From October until January / February these pigs are left in
complete liberty on the ‘Dehesa’, the countryside where they paste acorns.
This period is called “montanera” after which the pigs are ready for
slaughter.
After slaughter, the hams are immersed in nitrified salts to help dry and
preserve them. The of this immersion duration depends on the ham’s weight:
1-2 days for each kilo, which usually works out to be 9-14 days. Then the
salt is washed off and the hams are hung to dry during 30-45 days, at a
temperature between 8º-10ºC and a relative humidity of 80%. This period is
called “asentamiento”, a slow process during which the ham loses water
and the salt gets absorbed and spread homogeneously through all parts of
the ham.
During the following 6 to 15 months, the curing process really starts and the
ham changes to a deep red colour and gains the typical aromas of the cured
meat. During the curing process, the temperature needs to be between one
and five degrees with very low humidity. In earlier days, hams were taking
to the mountains in order to meet the right temperature and humidity. The
village of Trevelez in the Alpujarras is the living example of this tradition
where you can visit the “secaderos” – dry houses. The last 3-4 weeks of
this process is called “maduracion”: hams are exposed to temperatures of
around 30º with a relative humidity of 60%. This way, the fats get well
spread into the muscle fibres of the ham.
Most of the hams lost a 40% of their original weight during mentioned
processes and get sold now. Only the best hams stay between 7-13 months
more in “bodegas” for an additional curation, called “añejado”, during which
the ham gains even more taste. Competing countries like France or Italy don’t
apply this “añejado” process and therefore those hams are recognized by
experts to be world’s best.
Please note that above indicated process will differ depending on the weight
of the ham and also of the interpretations, experience and secrets of each
ham-maker. Now let’s take a look at the different ham you may encounter in
Spain:
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