An essential food product for the preparation of dishes in the kitchen, great gastronomic dishes and various tastings, Iberian Ham or jam\u00f3n ib\u00e9rico <\/strong><\/em>plays an essential role in Spanish gastronomy. But how is it really made? Where does it come from? What about its protected origins? This article answers all these questions, not forgetting a culinary point of view on how to enjoy it. <\/p>\n\n Before\ncan be eaten, Iberian ham must first go through\na number of production stages, including sacrifice &\nbutchering, salting, washing and resting, drying\nand curing. Sacrificing and butchering involve\nrecognizing the quality of the meat according to its type, before it is\nbutchered. Once this stage has been completed, the meat passes through the\nV or serrano cut before being placed on top of other\nmeat already cut and separated by a thin layer of\nsea salt. This is the salting stage. During this stage, the ham will be\npreserved for several days, depending on its weight (a priori\none day for one kilo), during which its color and aromas will\ndevelop. \n<\/p>\n\n After\nsalting, the ham undergoes a washing and resting process\n. Washing is carried out in lukewarm water, with the aim\nof removing excess salt. Resting lasts an average of 1 to\n3 months, and takes place in a low-temperature room\nwith a certain percentage of humidity. Drying of\nIberian ham takes place in most cases in cellars or\nnatural drying rooms to naturally remove the moisture content\n. On average, this process takes 4 to 9 months. And as a final\nstep, don’t underestimate the importance of maturing\n, which is designed to develop the ham’s taste and texture. \n<\/p>\n\n \nIberian ham is a type of ham made mainly from\nIberian pigs. It is derived from the pata negra or black leg,\na breed of pig easily recognized by its dark black coat or\nhoof. These Iberian pigs originate in Spain,\nin regions close to the Basque Country, and are the source of\nthe finest hams that are the pride of the country. There are three\ntypes of Iberian ham, but this designation is authorized\nonly for hams made with at least 75% of the\nIberian pig breed: cebo, cebo de campo and\nbellota. \n<\/p>\n\n \ncebo is an Iberian ham made from the meat of Iberian pigs\nraised in a pigsty fed only on\ncereals and vegetables. Cebo de campo, on the other hand, is produced at\nfrom free-range Iberian pigs, but also with\na diet of cereals and vegetables. \n bellota is the true Iberian ham, made from 100%\nIberian pork. When we talk about “pata\nnegra”, we’re mainly referring to bellota. \n<\/p>\n\n At\nthere are 4 AOCs or Appellations d’Origine Contr\u00f4l\u00e9e for\nIberian ham: AOC Guijuelo from the\ndepartment-province of Salamanca, AOC Jabugo-Huelva from the\ndepartment-province of Huelva, AOC Extremadura from the\nautonomous community of Extremadura and AOC Los Pedroches from the\ndepartment-province of Cordoba. \n<\/p>\n\n Just\nlike wine, it’s essential to prepare your Iberian ham properly\nto enjoy it in the best possible way. The ideal\ntemperature is reached when the ham begins to glisten.\nPlace it over a ham rack with a sharp\nknife and cut the pieces into thin slices. To extract\nthe rind and slices, you’ll need to make a deep, circular cut\nall around the bone. This extraction\nis necessary so as not to alter the flavor of the jam\u00f3n ib\u00e9rico. \n<\/p>\n\n \nIberian ham is best enjoyed with a good, full-bodied red wine, a dry white\nwine or an excellent vintage champagne. A crunchy and fine\ngourmet bread could do the trick, however, it would be\nmuch more interesting to add soft cheese,\ntomato, grapes and walnuts to the decor. It can also be enjoyed at\nwith duck liver, fresh or grilled mushrooms in a\ndrizzle of oil, or simply in combination with a simple homemade\npur\u00e9e. \n<\/p>\n\n Find more interesting facts about Foie Gras and the Basque Country on our Blog<\/a> and tasty recipes in the Recipe<\/a> section of our website!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" All about Iberian Ham An essential food product for the preparation of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2268],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-unclassified"],"yoast_head":"\nProduction mode<\/h2>\n\n
Provenance and protected origin <\/h2>\n\n
Culinary point of view on how to enjoy Iberian Ham<\/h2>\n\n