Learn to enjoy Iberian ham. Tastings

The tastings

They teach how to distinguish this type of Iberian ham from the rest, as well as its four designations of origin and different qualities.

Iberian ham is by no means unknown. However, there are some misconceptions not only about recognizing it, but also about knowing exactly what distinguishes it from other types of ham. Acorn? Black leg? Jabugo? Guijuelo?

These are terms everyone has heard of, but whose definition isn’t always clear. That’s why shops like Reserva Ibérica, with two locations in Barcelona and one in Sant Cugat, have started organizing tastings aimed at providing some basic knowledge that will allow people to enjoy Iberian ham and its different designations of origin even more.

One of the masterclasses led by Manel López, the store’s director and heir to a family tradition that began in La Boquería, starts with a definition that leaves no room for doubt: “Only Iberian ham is that which comes from the Iberian breed native to the southwest of the peninsula and which grazes in the dehesas, that is, Mediterranean forests made up of trees such as cork oaks and holm oaks.”

From there, he reveals another key fact: there are four DOs where this high-end product is made: Guijuelo (Salamanca), Dehesa de Extremadura, Jabugo (in fact, the most appropriate name would be DO Huelva), and Los Pedroches (Córdoba).

Acorn-fed

In this way, the participant in the tasting already knows that only ham from these designated areas will be considered Iberian ham. Furthermore, there are different quality levels within these Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs). The best, and rarest, is acorn-fed ham, which comes from pigs raised free-range and fed exclusively on acorns.

The tasting involves sampling this type of ham from the various Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs) to distinguish their differences. Another option is to take home a pack with these four varieties. Oh, and the term “pata negra” (black hoof) is nothing more than a marketing term, explains Manel López, used to pass off a non-Iberian ham as Iberian.

Published by El Periódico with text by Eduard Palomares
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