Jamón for Sale at Ibericus in Reus, Spain

I have just returned to NYC after a fabulous visit with my family who lives in Reus, Spain. As usual, when I visit Spain, I seek out and gorge myself on Spain’s famous delicacy: Jamón Ibérico de Bellota – a delicious, acorn-fed, salt-cured ham.

Although this jamón is now available in the US, it is extremely expensive and often cut too thick, masking some of the delicate flavors that you get with thinly sliced jamón (nevertheless, it is still worth trying if you have the option; we recommend Boqueria (restaurant) and Despaña (specialty food store) in NYC).

We have created the guide below to help you understand the different types and classifications of Spanish jamón, so that on your next visit to Spain or to a Spanish restaurant, the only information you will be missing is how to speak Spanish!

There are four things you need to know to know when buying jamón:

1. Type of Product
   1. Jamón – the hind leg of a cured ham (fattier; higher quality); and Paleta – the foreleg or shoulder of a cured ham (less fatty, more intense flavor). As these two are cut, cured and eaten in the same manner, for the rest of this entry, I use the term “jamón” to refer to both the leg and the shoulder of the ham.
   2. Embutidos (other cured meats/sausages) – lomo (loin), chorizo, etc.
2. The Pedigree
   1. Ibérico – breed: Iberian; a black pig with black hoofs – sometimes referred to as pata negra
      1. Ibérico Puro – both parents are pure Iberian pigs
      2. Ibérico – at least one parent is a pure Iberian pig
   2. Serrano – breed: Landrace or Duroc Jersey; a white pig
3. The Diet
   1. Bellota – free-range pigs that feed on acorns (bellotas) and graze in forests/meadows (dehesa) filled with cork and oak trees. As you might have guessed, this is the highest quality diet.
   2. Recebo – free-range pigs that feed on acorns (bellotas), graze in forests/meadows (dehesa) filled with cork and oak trees and receive additional commercial feed
   3. Cebo de Campo – pigs live in an open-air pen and are fed only commercial feed
   4. Cebo – pigs remain in a closed building and are fed only commercial feed
4. Appellation (based on geographical location, quality and production)
   1. Jamón Ibérico
      1. Dehesa de Extremadura – the “best” – refers to jamón produced from pigs that live and graze in the cork and oak tree forests of the Badajoz and Caceres provinces in the Extremadura region of Spain (on the border with Portugal)
      2. Jamón de Guijuelo – Jamóns produced in the southeast province of Salamanca, just north of Extremadura on the border with Portugal (Castile-Leon).
      3. Jamón de Huelva – Refers to jamóns that are matured in the mountainous Sierra de Huelva region (in the western portion of Andalucía, just south of Extremedura, also along the border with Portugal). Jabugo is one of the most famous towns in the Huelva province.
   2. Jamón Serrano
      1. Jamón de Trevélez – Trevélez is located in the High Alpujarra (in the province of Granada, Andalucia) and sits over 1,200m above sea level. Curing hams at this altitude requires less salt, giving it a unique and sweeter flavor.
      2. Jamón de Teruel – The province of Teruel is located in Aragon (northeast Spain). Hams are cured at 800+ m above sea level, which also requires less salt than hams cured at lower altitudes.

How to purchase jamón: In Spain, they price jamón by the whole piece and by 100 grams (roughly 3.5 oz). 1000 grams (1kg) is equal to 2.2 pounds.  Buy and eat as much as possible!

How to eat jamón:

• For lesser quality jamón, put a slice on top of a piece of pan con tomate (toasted or untoasted sliced bread rubbed with garlic and tomato, drizzled with olive oil and finally sprinkled with salt).
• For top quality jamón, simply eat it with your fingers and let it melt in your mouth.