Iberian hams are characterised by their dark hooves, slender profile and narrow shins. Their meat usually ranges from purpley red to light pink and their unmistakable flavour comes from a genetic characteristic: the fatty infiltrations in the muscle tissue.

 

The differences between hams from different areas lie primarily in their fat content. Hams from Jabugo, in the Huelva province, reveal numerous fatty streaks amongst their bright lean meat when they are cut due to the low melting point of the acorn fat.

 

Hams from Guijuelo are low in salt and have uniform streaks when cut, shiny golden-coloured fat and tyrosine crystals in the form of white spots, whilst the fat in Dehesa de Extremadura hams is shiny and soft to the touch with a smooth texture.

 

The hams are usually hung up in drying rooms for between six and nine months, where the sweating process takes place in the summer heat and the fat is distributed throughout the muscle tissue. In autumn, they are taken down into the cellars where they remain for around a year so that they age, and when they are removed a long piece of bone is inserted into them to test the bouquet.

 

It is fundamental to know how to cut ham well, as this has an impact on the taste, and never to cut more than you are going to eat. The cutting and storage are fundamental to enjoying this culinary delight to the full.

 

Above all, ham must be stored in a cool, dry place, if possible hung up or on a ham stand and eaten at room temperature. It should not be eaten cold as it will lose its flavour, nor should it be kept in the fridge. Furthermore, irrespective of the time taken to eat it, the piece of ham should always have clean, defined edges in order to prevent rancid tastes.

 

It is advisable to place the ham on the stand with the hoof pointing upwards and remove the rind and external fat if it is all going to be eaten at once. Otherwise, it is only necessary to remove the rind on the section that is going to be cut at that time or during the next few days and, as you cut more, you can clean a bit further.

 

It should be cut just before serving, in almost transparent slices. This will require three knives, one to clean the piece of ham, another long, thin, sharp one to cut the slices, and a third shorter, firm one for cutting the hip.

 

Using the wide knife, a deep incision is made in the shin, from where we will start to cut pieces from the thickest part of the joint using the thin knife. It is advisable to mix pieces from the central area with those from the end and the foreleg in every serving. These pieces should be small and very thin. The direction of the cut should be consistent, either towards the hoof or away from it. It is advisable to make sure that the blade of the knife is not pointing towards the person who is cutting the ham.

 

When you reach the hip bone, using the short knife you make an incision around the bone so that the subsequent slices come away easily in this area. Once this area has been used up, you turn the ham round and with the hoof pointing downwards, you perform the same process until you reach the bone. This is the hardest side of the ham, so it is more difficult to cut. The meat which is attached to the bone is cut into strips and small cubes and is often used to flavour delicious stews.

 

There are three types of ham, determined by the kind of food used to feed the animal. Acorn-fed ham is the most highly appreciated, it is ham with several streaks of fat, with fragrant meat and delicate aromas. It comes from pigs which have been fed exclusively on acorns and grass during the fattening period, grazing in the meadow. 

 

Grain-fed ham combines acorns and natural fodder with additional authorised feeding stuffs during the final months, whilst country ham comes from Iberian pigs fed only on authorised feeding stuffs.

 

The weather also affects the pastures, where years with few acorns alternate with those where there are many acorns. This affects the quality and quantity of the fruit eaten by the animals and, as a result, the characteristics of each year. Consequently, the Denomination of Origin Regulatory Board rates the quality of each year, and decides which pieces will be recognised as being of superior quality.