Which Well-Known Types of Ham From Spain are There?

Spain is culinary famous for its high-quality ham. The best known are Serrano ham and Pata Negra (actually Jamón Ibérico). Both types of Spanish ham are air-dried. The longer the air drying and aging, the better the taste and the higher the quality. Serrano ham tastes mildly aromatic, Jamón Ibérico has a nutty note. Both hams are beautifully marbled and their flesh is pink to purple in colour. Jamón Ibérico in particular is a real delicacy: Compared to Serrano ham, it is expensive and is considered by many experts to be the best ham in the world.

In this country, the Serrano ham is particularly widespread. The meat of light-skinned domestic pigs is used for it. Serrano ham usually comes from pig breeds such as the Belgian White Pig, Landrace or Large White. These breeds were brought to Spain specifically for ham production and crossed there with Iberian Duroc pigs. Serrano ham is available from white and black pigs.

The Pata Negra is also very well known worldwide. However, its name is somewhat misleading: “Pata Negra” means something like “black claw”. The reason for this is that the ham comes from the Iberian pig, which usually has a black hoof. However, since this is not always the case and there are other black pig breeds in Spain, the name “Pata Negra” is not permitted for the well-known ham in Spain. Correct is the name “Jamón Ibérico”. A distinction is made between several quality levels: In any case, the ham comes from pigs that belong to at least 75 percent of the Iberico breed. The Jamón Ibérico de Pienso comes from pigs that have only received grain as feed. With the Jamón Ibérico de Recebo, the pigs have gained at least 30 percent of their weight from eating acorns. Finally, the Jamón Ibérico de Bellota denotes the highest quality level. The pigs for this ham owe at least 40 percent of their weight to acorn fruits and herbs.

As a delicacy from the sea, we recommend shrimp, which you can use to make a delicious shrimp salad, for example.