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''Jamón'' (; : ''jamones'') is a type of dry-cured ham produced in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. It is one of the most globally recognized food items of
Spanish cuisine Spanish cuisine () consists of the traditions and practices of Spanish cooking. It features considerable regional diversity, with significant differences among the traditions of each of Spain's regional cuisines. Olive oil (of which Spain is ...
. It is also regularly a component of
tapas Tapas () are appetisers or snacks in Spanish cuisine. They can be combined to make a full meal and are served cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as , which are battered, fried baby squid; or , spicy potatoes). In some bars ...
. ''Jamón'' is the Spanish word for ' ham'. As such, other ham products produced or consumed in
Spanish-speaking countries The following is a list of countries where Spanish is an official language, plus several countries where Spanish language, Spanish or any language closely related to it, is an important or significant language. There are 20 UN member states whe ...
are also called by this name. In Spain, the term ''jamón serrano'' is sometimes used to avoid confusions. Spanish dry-cured ham comes in a wide range of prices and qualities; as of 2019, typical prices ranged from €5.00 to €75.00 per kilogram, depending on a number of points, such as length of curing time, breed of pig, or type of animal feeding.


Description

''Jamón'' is typically consumed in slices, either manually carved from a pig's hind leg held on a ''jamonero'' stand using a sharp thin slicing knife, or cut from the deboned meat with a meat slicer. It is also regularly consumed in any shape in small portions. As a product, ''jamón'' is similar to Portuguese '' presunto'' and to Italian
prosciutto Prosciutto ( ; ), also known as ''prosciutto crudo'', is an uncooked, unsmoked, and dry-cured ham. It is usually served thinly sliced. Several regions in Italy have their own variations of ''prosciutto crudo'', each with degrees of protected ...
, but the production differs by a longer curing phase (up to 18 months), giving a dryer texture, deeper color and stronger flavour. A whole ''jamón'' leg is considerably cheaper by weight than its sliced counterpart because it includes the bone and non-edible fat. Once the external fat layers are removed and the meat is exposed, the product must be consumed as soon as possible since a progressive drying and deteriorating process starts. This is not an issue for
restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...
s and retailers, since they go through product much faster than an individual. Home users will typically choose sliced product, be it freshly cut from a deli stand, commercially pre-packaged or vacuum preserved. ''Jamón'' is safe to consume as long as the leg is kept in a dry and cool environment and out of direct sunlight, but it must be kept refrigerated once cut away from the leg. ''Jamón'' may also be smoked in some regions, where it is used mostly for personal consumption. This form of ham is common in the southern areas of
Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...
as well as in parts of
Extremadura Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...
. Such a ''jamón'' has a harder texture and a smoky-salty flavour. Though widely available in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
(even if on the expensive side) and accessible in some countries of the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
, import duties and trade or food safety restrictions applied to foreign meat products in international markets may raise prices substantially while creating scarcity, often making ''jamón'' a prohibitively expensive product for other countries to import. There are two main commercial labels for ''jamón'', based on the pig breed and protected designations: *
Jamón ibérico Jamón ibérico (; Spanish for "Iberian Ham"), known in Portuguese as presunto ibérico (), is a variety of ''jamón'' or ''presunto'', a type of Curing (food preservation), cured leg of pork (primarily Black Iberian pigs) produced in Spain and P ...
is made from the black Iberian pig, and may be consumed internationally as a
delicacy A delicacy is a rare food item that is considered highly desirable, sophisticated, or peculiarly distinctive within a given culture or region. A delicacy may have an unusual flavor or be expensive compared to everyday foods. Delicacies va ...
. * Jamón serrano (meaning ) includes most other varieties. File:Pa amb oli con jamón y queso.jpg,
Jamón ibérico Jamón ibérico (; Spanish for "Iberian Ham"), known in Portuguese as presunto ibérico (), is a variety of ''jamón'' or ''presunto'', a type of Curing (food preservation), cured leg of pork (primarily Black Iberian pigs) produced in Spain and P ...
File:Jamón en jamonera - Zaragoza.jpg, alt=A jamón leg in a cutting stand., A jamón serrano leg from
Teruel Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel (province), Teruel Province. It had a population of 35,900 as of 2022, making it the least populated provincial capital in Spain. It is noted for its har ...
in a cutting stand


Jamón serrano

The term jamón serrano (, meaning ham from the sierra, or mountain range) is regularly applied as an umbrella culinary term for all dry-cured ''jamón'' produced in Spain, as opposed to '' jamón de York'', which is cooked whole on the bone. It is most precisely applied, though, to ''jamón'' produced from white and/or non-''Ibérico'' breeds of pig. This is the most commonly produced and consumed range of ''jamón'' in Spain. The majority of jamones serranos are produced from a
landrace A landrace is a Domestication, domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural Environment (biophysical), environment of agric ...
breed of white pigs or from commercial breeds such as Duroc. Jamón serrano, described variously as ''jamón reserva'', ''jamón curado'', and ''jamón extra'' or any generic ''jamón'' nomenclature, is produced from compound-fed white pigs. Jamón serrano has traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) status in the EU and the UK. The TSG certification attests that a particular food product objectively possesses specific characteristics that differentiate it from all others in its category and that its raw materials, composition, or method of production have been consistent for a minimum of 30 years.


Production

Fresh hams are trimmed and cleaned, then stacked and covered with
salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
for about two weeks to draw off excess moisture and preserve the meat from spoiling. The salt is then washed off, and the hams are hung to dry for about six months. Finally, the hams are hung in a cool, dry place for six to 18 months, depending on the climate, as well as the size and type of ham being cured. The drying sheds (''secaderos'') are usually built at higher elevations, which is why the ham is called "mountain ham".


Jamón ibérico

Pork products made from Iberian-breed pigs receive the ''ibérico/a'' denomination. As such,
jamón ibérico Jamón ibérico (; Spanish for "Iberian Ham"), known in Portuguese as presunto ibérico (), is a variety of ''jamón'' or ''presunto'', a type of Curing (food preservation), cured leg of pork (primarily Black Iberian pigs) produced in Spain and P ...
is the dry-cured ''jamón'' produced from livestock of these breeds. ''Ibérico'' encompasses some of the most expensive ham produced in the world, and its fatty marbled texture has made it very popular as a
delicacy A delicacy is a rare food item that is considered highly desirable, sophisticated, or peculiarly distinctive within a given culture or region. A delicacy may have an unusual flavor or be expensive compared to everyday foods. Delicacies va ...
, with a hard-to-fulfill global demand comparable to that of kobe beef. Since jamón ibérico production and export is limited, buyer should beware and not fall victim of bait-and-switch or quality fraud similar to that of olive oil, since it has been estimated that a sizable portion of both local market and exports are not actually ''ibérico''. Spain regulation defines trade labeling for all ''ibérico'' products.


European Union protected designation of origin

Under the
Common Agricultural Policy The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the agricultural policy of the European Commission. It implements a system of agricultural subsidies and other programmes. It was introduced in 1962 and has since then undergone several changes to reduce ...
of the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
(EU), certain well-established meat products, including some local ''jamón'' and ''jamón'' producers, are covered by a
protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...
(PDO) or protected geographical indication (PGI): * ''Jamón de Teruel'' has PDO status. * ''Jamón de
Los Pedroches Los Pedroches is a natural region and comarca in Córdoba Province, Andalusia, southern Spain. It is located in the Sierra Morena area at the northern end of the province. The main town is Pozoblanco. The climate of the comarca is continenta ...
'' has PDO status. * ' has PDO status. * ' has PDO status. * ' from Alájar, Almonaster la Real, Aracena, Aroche, Arroyomolinos de León, Cala, Campofrío, Castaño del Robledo, Cañaveral de León, Corteconcepción, Cortegana, Cortelazor, Cumbres de Enmedio, Cumbres de San Bartolomé, Cumbres Mayores, Encinasola, Fuenteheridos, Galaroza, Higuera de la Sierra, Hinojales, Jabugo, La Granada de Río-Tinto, La Nava, Linares de la Sierra, Los Marines, Puerto Moral, Rosal de la Frontera, Santa Ana la Real, Santa Olalla del Cala, Valdelarco, Zufre has PDO status. * ' from Trevélez, Juviles, Busquístar, Pórtugos, La Tahá, Bubión, Capileira, and Bérchules has PGI status.


''Paleta''

The ''paleta de cerdo'' or ''paletilla'' is a product similar to ''jamón''; it is made from the front leg of a pig, instead of the hind leg used for ''jamón'', cured using the same process and consumed in the same way. Since whole legs are sold by weight and ''paletillas'' are lighter, they are often marketed towards home consumption. A ''paletilla'' may be described or marketed as ''Ibérica'' when produced from the same
livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...
as
jamón ibérico Jamón ibérico (; Spanish for "Iberian Ham"), known in Portuguese as presunto ibérico (), is a variety of ''jamón'' or ''presunto'', a type of Curing (food preservation), cured leg of pork (primarily Black Iberian pigs) produced in Spain and P ...
.


See also

*
Spanish cuisine Spanish cuisine () consists of the traditions and practices of Spanish cooking. It features considerable regional diversity, with significant differences among the traditions of each of Spain's regional cuisines. Olive oil (of which Spain is ...
* List of hams *
List of dried foods This is a list of dried foods. Food drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and has been practiced worldwide since ancient times to preserve food. Where or when d ...
*
Curing (food preservation) Curing is any of various food preservation and flavoring processes of foods such as meat, fish and vegetables, by the addition of salt, with the aim of drawing moisture out of the food by the process of osmosis. Because curing increases the solu ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jamon Ham Spanish cuisine