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| Alternative names | Jamón serrano |
|---|---|
| Course | Tapas,appetiser |
| Place of origin | Spain |
| Serving temperature | Room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Ham |
| Variations | Jamón ibérico |
Jamón (Spanish:[xaˈmon];pl.:jamones) is a type ofdry-cured ham produced inSpain. It is one of the most globally recognized food items ofSpanish cuisine.[1][2] It is also regularly a component oftapas.[3][4]
Jamón is theSpanish word for 'ham'. As such, other ham products produced or consumed inSpanish-speaking countries are also called by this name. In Spain, the termjamón 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.[5]
Jamón is typically consumed in slices, either manually carved from a pig's hind leg held on ajamonero stand using 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,jamón is similar toPortuguesepresunto and toItalianprosciutto, but the production differs by a longer curing phase (up to 18 months), giving a dryer texture, deeper color and stronger flavour.
A wholejamón 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 forrestaurateurs andretailers, since they go through product much faster than an individual.[6] Home users will typically choose sliced product, be itfreshly cut from a deli stand,commercially pre-packaged orvacuum 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.[7][8]
Jamón may also besmoked in some regions, where it is used mostly for personal consumption. This form of ham is common in the southern areas ofCastile and León as well as in parts ofExtremadura. Such ajamón has 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 duties andtrade or food safety restrictions applied to foreign meat products[9] in international markets may raise prices substantially while creating scarcity, often makingjamón a prohibitively expensive product for other countries to import.
There are two main commercial labels forjamón, based on thepig breed andprotected designations:
The termjamón serrano (lit. 'serrano ham', meaning ham from thesierra, or mountain range) is regularly applied as an umbrella culinary term for alldry-curedjamón produced in Spain,[10] as opposed tojamón de York, which is cooked whole on the bone.[11]
It is most precisely applied, though, tojamón produced from white and/or non-Ibérico breeds of pig. This is the most commonly produced and consumed range ofjamón in Spain.[12] The majority of jamones serranos are produced from alandrace breed of white pigs or from commercial breeds such asDuroc. Jamón serrano, described variously asjamón reserva,jamón curado, andjamón extra or any genericjamón nomenclature, is produced from compound-fed white pigs.[citation needed]
Jamón serrano hastraditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) status in the EU and the UK.[13] 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.[14]
Freshhams are trimmed and cleaned, then stacked and covered withsalt 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".[15]
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Pork products made fromIberian-breed pigs receive theibérico/a denomination. As such,jamón ibérico is thedry-curedjamón produced from livestock of these breeds.Ibérico encompasses some of the most expensiveham produced in the world,[16][17] and its fattymarbled texture has made it very popular as adelicacy, with a hard-to-fulfill global demand[18] comparable to that ofkobe beef.[citation needed]
Since jamón ibérico production and export is limited,buyer should beware and not fall victim ofbait-and-switch orquality 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 allibérico products.[19]
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Under theCommon Agricultural Policy of theEuropean Union (EU), certain well-established meat products, including some localjamón andjamón producers, are covered by aprotected designation of origin (PDO) or protected geographical indication (PGI):
Thepaleta de cerdo orpaletilla[22][23] is 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 andpaletillas are lighter, they are often marketed towards home consumption.[6]
Apaletilla may be described or marketed asIbérica when produced from the samelivestock asjamón ibérico.[citation needed]
Media related toJamón at Wikimedia Commons
| Types of ham | |
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| Ham dishes | |
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