Jamon is a famous dry-cured Spanish ham. It is divided into two main types - Serrano jamon and Iberico jamon and differs in quality, which depends on the breeds of pigs used for meat, the place and type of their fattening and the nuances of processing.
Jamon Iberico
Jamon Iberico or "Iberian ham" is made only from pigs of a special breed - black. The piglets are kept on a special diet, the essential component of which is the aromatic acorns of cork and stone trees. The jamon of pigs that walked only on free grazing and ate only acorns is called Jamón Ibérico de Bellota. This is the finest Spanish ham, with about 60% lard, but like olive oil, it contains healthy mono fats. Jamon Iberico de Bellota is called "black caviar in the world of ham".
Do not leave the Iberico de Bellota jamon at room temperature. It has such delicate fat that it starts to melt.
Jamón ibérico de recebo is made from pigs that have been allowed to grow half the weight on free grazing, feeding on acorns, and brought to the required size, supplemented with oats. This is the second most delicate type of jamon. And, finally, simply Iberico jamon is obtained by slaughtering black Iberian pigs, from birth fed on grain fodder with a small addition of acorns.
Jamon Serrano
Serrano jamon is used by ordinary white pigs, which were raised on farms and fed with selected grain. To get a premium Serrano jamon - Gran Serrano, the hams are dried for 18 months in special huts built in the mountains. It is the mountain air - cool, dry and fresh - that makes it possible to achieve the delicate and delicate taste of this type of ham. On the hams with such a ham, there is always a special stamp indicating its place of origin. Serrano Plato Jamon and Serrano Oro Jamon (Gold and Silver) is just a ham sourced from Spanish white pigs and dried anywhere in Spain. Simple jamon is also obtained from the meat of white pigs raised on farms in any other country, but dried in a special way in Spain.
On November 6, Spain celebrates "Jamon Day".
How jamon is made
In order to prepare the ham, the cut hams of freshly killed pigs are covered with coarse sea salt and left for 7-10 days in a cool place with a humidity close to 100%. Then the meat is washed with warm water to remove salt crystals and stored at a temperature of - 3 to - 5 ° C, also in a humid place for another 1-2 months. Thus, the salt absorbed into the outer layers of the ham penetrates deeper, transforming the soft meat into a firm, firm ham. The hams prepared in this way are sent to dry and ripen. This process takes place at temperatures from 15 to 30 ° C either in mountain huts or in special rooms with artificial ventilation. The ham is dried for 6 to 18 months. During this time, the meat loses moisture and "sweats" - that is, the fat spreads throughout the whole ham, saturating it evenly. The final phase in the preparation of expensive Spanish jamon is the process of its final maturation, carried out in wine cellars for at least 2 years. A special master monitors the ripening of such a ham, for each ham separately, he determines when the ham has reached the peak of taste and aroma and sends the finished product for sale.
