了解西班牙火腿
What you need to know about Jamón Ibérico
Did you know that Jamón ibérico corresponds to the hind leg of the authentic Iberian Peninsula pig? Let's start at the beginning, investigating a little more about this Jamón based on three variables that allow us to differentiate it perfectly: the breed, the diet and the origin.
The breed: the Iberian pig
The Iberian pig is a unique species with characteristics that differentiate it from other animals of the same species, such as, for example, the ability to infiltrate fat into the muscle. Physically speaking, these animals have a well-proportioned head and a pointed snout, unlike other types of pigs, the Iberian pig has a powerful neck, a drooping dewlap, medium-sized ears in the shape of a visor and a large belly. Its limbs, the ones we are most interested in when talking about ham, are slender.
According to the legislation that regulates the production of Jamón Ibérico, the denomination "Iberian pig" includes all those pigs whose mother is 100% Iberian and is registered in the herd book of the Iberian Pig Breed. The offspring of this pig, and therefore the products produced from them, can have different percentages of breed purity: 50%, 75% or 100%.
Their diet
In addition to the breed, in order to differentiate the Iberian pigs from the rest and give them a category among them, it is necessary to take into account the diet. Iberian ham can be of two types: de campo ibérico or de bellota ibérico. And here we ask the question: what is the main difference between them? Their diet.
On the one hand, the de cebo iberico pigs, which live on farms, are fed on feed and cereals. On the other hand, the de cebo de campo iberico pigs combine farm life with grazing in the fields in freedom, so they are fed a combination of fodder and wild fruits that they gather from the fields.
On the other hand, the Iberian pigs that produce de bellota iberico ham are those that make the "montanera" and live freely in the pastures during the autumn and winter, feeding on acorns and other grasses and fruits from the wild. The acorns have an exquisite oil that the pig infiltrates into its muscle, turning it into very precious fat, which is what makes it melt in your mouth when you taste it.
