Jamón

Jamón(Spanish:[xaˈmon];pl.:jamones) is a type ofdry-cured hamproduced inSpain. It is one of the most globally recognized food items ofSpanish cuisine.It is also regularly a component oftapas.
Jamónis theSpanishword for 'ham'. As such, other ham products produced or consumed inSpanish-speaking countriesare also called by this name. In Spain, the termjamón serranois 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.
Jamónis typically consumed in slices, either manually carved from a pig's hind leg held on ajamonerostandusing a sharp thin slicing knife, or cut from the deboned meat with ameat slicer. It is also regularly consumed in any shape in small portions.
As a product,jamónis similar toPortuguesepresuntoand toItalianprosciutto, but the production differs by a longer curing phase (up to 18 months), giving a dryer texture, deeper color and stronger flavour.
A wholejamónleg 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 forrestaurateursandretailers, since they go through product much faster than an individual.Home users will typically choose sliced product, be itfreshly cut from a deli stand,commercially pre-packagedorvacuum preserved.Jamónis 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.
Jamónmay also besmokedin some regions, where it is used mostly for personal consumption. This form of ham is common in the southern areas ofCastile and Leónas well as in parts ofExtremadura. Such ajamónhas a harder texture and a smoky-salty flavour.
Though widely available inSpain(even if on the expensive side) and accessible in some countries of theEuropean Union,import dutiesandtrade or food safety restrictionsapplied to foreign meat productsin international markets may raise prices substantially while creating scarcity, often makingjamóna prohibitively expensive product for other countries to import.
There are two main commercial labels forjamón, based on thepig breedandprotected designations:
The termjamón serrano(lit.'serrano ham', meaning ham from thesierra, or mountain range) is regularly applied as an umbrella culinary term for alldry-curedjamónproduced in Spain,as opposed tojamón de York, which is cooked whole on the bone.
It is most precisely applied, though, tojamónproduced from white and/or non-Ibéricobreeds of pig. This is the most commonly produced and consumed range ofjamónin Spain.The majority of jamones serranos are produced from alandracebreed of white pigs or from commercial breeds such asDuroc. Jamón serrano, described variously asjamón reserva,jamón curado, andjamón extraor any genericjamónnomenclature, is produced from compound-fed white pigs.
Jamón serrano hastraditional 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.
Freshhamsare trimmed and cleaned, then stacked and covered withsaltfor 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".
Pork products made fromIberian-breed pigsreceive theibérico/adenomination. As such,jamón ibéricois thedry-curedjamónproduced from livestock of these breeds.Ibéricoencompasses some of the most expensivehamproduced in the world,and its fattymarbledtexture has made it very popular as adelicacy, with a hard-to-fulfill global demandcomparable to that ofkobe beef.
Since jamón ibérico production and export is limited,buyer should bewareand not fall victim ofbait-and-switchorquality fraud similar to that of olive oil, since it has been estimated that a sizable portion of both local market and exports are not actuallyibérico. Spain regulation defines trade labeling for allibéricoproducts.
Under theCommon Agricultural Policyof theEuropean Union(EU), certain well-established meat products, including some localjamónandjamónproducers, are covered by aprotected designation of origin(PDO) or protected geographical indication (PGI):
Thepaleta de cerdoorpaletillais a product similar tojamón; it is made from the front leg of a pig, instead of the hind leg used forjamón, cured using the same process and consumed in the same way. Since whole legs are sold by weight andpaletillasare lighter, they are often marketed towards home consumption.
Apaletillamay be described or marketed asIbéricawhen produced from the samelivestockasjamón ibérico.
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