Pork is a food with excellent organoleptic properties that is essential in all stages of life, and today we will talk about a staple product in all the Spanish kitchens: cured ham.
Among all the pork processed products, cured ham holds an important place in the Mediterranean diet, and it is one of the distinguishing features of Spain.
We are proud to produced cure hams with the seal of quality of La Granja de Chico and Afinado, obtained from our best Duroc pigs.
Can you tell the difference between the different kinds of cured ham that you can find in the market? We will tell you everything about them.
Keep on reading.
How many kinds of cured ham are there in Spain?
There are different kinds of cured ham in Spain depending on the breed and feeding of the pigs, and the curing process.
Depending on the breed of the pig, the cured hams may be:
- White pig cured ham (93% of the cured hams produced in Spain).
- Iberian pig cured ham (7% of the cured hams produced in Spain). They are itemised as follows:
- Purebred (100%) Iberian cured ham: From a pig with an Iberian purebred sire and dam.
- Crossbred Iberian cured ham: In this case it shall inform of the % of the crossbreeding with the Duroc breed (75% or 50% Iberian purity).
Regarding the feeding:
- White pig cured hams come from animals fed with feed mostly containing cereals.
- Iberian pig cured hams come from animals fed with acorns, natural pasture and feed containing cereals and legumes.
The length of the curing process is also different:
- White pig cured hams are cured for 9-14 months.
- Iberian pig cured hams are cured for 20-36 months.
White pig cured ham
The breeds more frequently used for producing these cured hams are: Duroc, Landrace, Large White and Pietrain. The hams may come from purebred pigs of any of these breeds or from crossbred pigs between two of these breeds. Now it is frequent to find 100% Duroc cured ham, because its meat is juicier thanks to its greater marbling score.
The Duroc breed is the only one with which the crossbreeding with the Iberian pig is allowed.
There are several kinds of white pig cured ham:
Serrano ham, PDO Teruel cured ham (Protected Designation of Origin), Cured ham, PGD Trevélez cured ham (Protected Geographical Designation) or PGD Serón cured ham (Protected Geographical Designation).
According to the length of the curing process they receive the following names:
Cellar cured ham: 9 months.
Reserve or Aged cured ham: 12 months.
Grand Reserve cured ham: 15 months.
Iberian pig cured ham
According to Royal Decree No. 4/2014, of 10 January, as the Quality Standard for Iberian pork, and cured hams, shoulders and loins, these products shall be correctly labelled with a seal or plastic label placed around the ankle/wrist.
This seal is a traceability tool controlled by the ASICI (Asociación Interprofesional del Cerdo Ibérico, Iberian Pig Interprofessional Association), so the regulation in force is fulfilled and monitored. It provides information regarding the breed purity and the feeding of the animals.
There are 4 different seals:
Acorn-fed Iberian pig cured ham: Obtained from free-range Iberian pigs that live in the dehesas (pasturelands with holm oaks and cork oaks), and that during the last months of their fattening stage only eat natural pasture and acorns.
Label/Seal: black – acorn-fed purebred Iberian pig cured ham; and red – acorn-fed crossbred (75% or 50% Iberian purity) Iberian pig cured ham.
Free-range Iberian cured ham: Obtained from free-range Iberian pigs (whether purebred or crossbred) that have been fed with natural pasture and feed.
Label/Seal: green – Free-range Iberian pig cured ham
Feed-fed Iberian cured ham: Obtained from Iberian pigs (whether purebred or crossbred) that have not lived free-range, but on farms. They have been fed with feed based on cereals and legumes.
Label/Seal: white – Feed-fed Iberian pig cured ham.
At ACH we have white and Iberian pig cured hams for all cured ham lovers.
Enjoy our processed products obtained from our own animals, with which we obtain products with a superior quality.
Do you know what kind of cured ham you will choose?
