Product Code Database
Jamón (; : jamones) is a type of dry-cured ham produced in Spain. It is one of the most globally recognized food items of Spanish cuisine. It is also regularly a component of tapas.Casas, P. (1985). Introduction. In Tapas, the little dishes of Spain (xv) Introduction. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Jamón is the Spanish language word for ham. As such, other ham products produced or consumed in Spanish-speaking countries are also called by this name. In Spain, the term jamón serrano is sometimes used to avoid confusion.
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.
As a product, jamón is similar to Portuguese presunto and to Italian cuisine prosciutto, but the production differs by a longer curing phase (up to 18 months), giving a dryer texture, deeper color and stronger flavour.
A whole jamón 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 for and Retail, since they go through product much faster than an individual. Home users will typically choose sliced product, be it Delicatessen, Food packaging or Vacuum packing. 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.
Jamón may also be smoked in some regions, where it is used mostly for personal consumption. This form of ham is common in the southern areas of Castile and León as well as in parts of Extremadura. Such a jamón has a harder texture and a smoky-salty flavour.
Though widely available in Spain (even if on the expensive side) and accessible in some countries of the European Union, Tariff and Protectionism applied to foreign meat products in international markets may raise prices substantially while creating scarcity, often making jamón a prohibitively expensive product for other countries to import.
There are two main commercial labels for jamón, based on the pig breed and protected designations:
It is most precisely applied, though, to jamón produced from white and/or non- Ibérico breeds of pig. This is the most commonly produced and consumed range of jamón in Spain. The majority of jamones serranos are produced from a landrace breed of white pigs or from commercial breeds such as Duroc pig. Jamón serrano, described variously as jamón reserva, jamón curado, and jamón extra or any generic jamón nomenclature, is produced from compound-fed white pigs.
Jamón serrano has traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) status in the EU and the UK. EC PDO/PGI/TSG List 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.
Since jamón ibérico production and export is limited, Caveat emptor and not fall victim of bait-and-switch or quality fraud similar to that of olive oil, since it has been estimated that a sizable portion of both local market and exports are not actually ibérico. Spain regulation defines trade labeling for all ibérico products.
A paletilla may be described or marketed as Ibérica when produced from the same livestock as jamón ibérico.
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