Types Of Iberian Ham And Qualities Of Each Of Them

There are numerous types of ham available in the market today, within this great variety Iberian ham is one of the best known. Serrano ham would be any type of cured ham from the white pig while the cooked ham, or sweet, is what we all know as York ham.

There are different factors that determine the types of ham. First of all, there is the breed of pig from which the Iberian or white ham comes. Pig feeding also influences when defining the type of ham.

The ham comes from an Iberian pig, that is feed in large quantities during the fattening period. While the Serrano ham comes from a white pig that has not been feed with the same quality levels.

Another factor that intervenes in the variety of white ham is the curing time. The longer the cure, the better the quality. The origin of the ham, the place where the pig is raised, and the ham is prepared are also taken into account when drawing up the list of types of ham.

Something that also leads to different designations is of origin. Like other gastronomic products such as wine or olive oil, there are hams of different designations of origin.

Origin of Iberian ham

Iberian ham gets its name from the animal which the Iberian pig, it is also called so that is derived and is found especially in Andalusian pastures. All these animals live in freedom, an essential element for their exercise, which affects the quality of the final product. Depending on the food that the pig receives, we can obtain different varieties in taste.

Types of Iberian ham

Depending on the diet we can find two great varieties.

1.The acorn-fed Iberian ham: where the animal feed on acorns throughout its life, is the best that exists on the market and, at the same time, the most expensive.

2.The Iberian ham bait: this is obtained from pigs feed on natural grass and forage.

When choosing where to buy these great products, it is a matter of educating yourself well and getting references from suppliers to know that you are really buying a good product.

For example, buying acorn-fed Iberian ham at proper shops is the best alternative you can have if you want to enjoy artisanal production and a high-quality product at the best price.

How to differentiate the different types of Iberian ham visually?

When distinguishing between the different types of Iberian ham, we must pay attention to things such as that the legs of the acorn-fed ham are usually a little longer, this is because the original Iberian pig usually has a finer and taller constitution.

In addition, on the other hand, the hoof also gives us some clues since it is usually more worn due to its free walks through the pasture.

Apart from the morphology, fat, and color, we can also get some more information to distinguish them if we look at the texture of the fat in the ham. The fat in acorn-fed ham is much softer, although firm.

How do you differentiate the different types of Iberian ham when eating it?

The main difference that we can find when we eat the two types of Iberian ham is that acorn-fed ham clearly has fantastic streaks of fat that offer a much smoother and more flavorful flavor, this is due to the type of aging and feeding.

The animals are fed exclusively on acorns and the exercise carried out during their walks in the pasture favors the infiltration of fat.

In any case, both acorn-fed Iberian ham and Iberian ham bait are two fantastic options as we will make sure that we have high-quality ham with exceptional flavor. Of course, then we will have to assess issues unrelated to the quality of the food such as the needs we have at all times and the budget we have.