Spanish ham tastes best when it is freshly sliced and to do this safely you need a sturdy holder.

To help you with the assembly of the gondola holder, we have produced a 9-page photo guide.

This simple guide walks you through the steps and shows you how to correctly put the stand together. 

White spots (crystals) present in dry-cured ham are evidence of long, natural ripening. It is an amino acid, tyrosine, which is formed during the maturing process by breaking down proteins into smaller building blocks, amino acids.

Pata Negra simply means “Black Hoof” in Spanish and refers to the fact that one of the distinctive characteristics of an Iberico Ham is the black hoof of the animal (vs. white pigs which usually have white hoofs). However, this characteristic is unreliable as black hoofs can be found on non-Iberian pigs and not all Iberian pigs have black hoofs.

A LONG FLEXIBLE KNIFE - JAMONERO

This specialist knife is designed exclusively for slicing wafer-thin, translucent slices of meat and is an essential tool that you will probably not have at home. 

A LONG FLEXIBLE KNIFE - JAMONERO

This specialist knife is designed exclusively for slicing wafer-thin, translucent slices of meat and is an essential tool that you will probably not have at home. 

 

Jamón is the Spanish word for ham but usually refers to dry-cured ham produced within the Iberian peninsula (a mountainous region that cuts across Spain and into Portugal). Jamón shares similarities with other continental dry-cured meats such as Italian prosciutto or Portuguese presunto but it is typically cured for longer (up to 36 months). Jamon is rightly considered a gourmet delicacy and a flagship of Spanish cuisine.

Choosing a ham is a very personal experience like choosing a bottle of wine and there are several things to consider. No one-size-fits-all and to help you through this process, we have produced this guide and created a series of useful articles within the Knowledge section of our website.

Serrano comes from the Spanish word Sierra (or Mountain) as traditionally, fresh hams are cured in mountainous areas with moderate climates. Serrano ham is one of Spain's most popular delicacies and has acquired a worldwide reputation for quality.

Iberico ham is truly special, only 10% of total Jamon production is made from the Iberian pig. This together with its special organoleptic qualities makes Iberico ham highly sought after and expensive.

Spain produces some of the best ham products in the world and is understandably proud of the Iberian pig which is specially bred to produce the finest ham.

The Dehesa is an Oak forest derived from the Mediterranean forest ecosystem containing at least 10 trees per hectare (10,000 sq meters). These Oaks are protected and pruned to produce acorns, which the famous black Iberian pigs graze on during the acorn season (Montanera) which lasts from September through to March. 

One characteristic of the Roman Empire was their ability to take the techniques they found across their empire and assimilate them into their own culture - Spanish ham production was no exception.