Types of Cured Spanish Ham

There are basically two different types of cured hams in Spain, jamón serrano or “mountain ham,” and jamón ibérico or “Iberian ham.”

Jamón Serrano - There are almost 2,000 producers of Serrano ham in Spain. Eighteen of these producers formed the Consorcio de Jamón Serrano Español in 1990. The name Jamón Serrano is now controlled by the European Union since the year 2000 and it protects the processing of this product, although it does not apply to a specific region. Look for the label that has an "S" in the shape of a ham, and says Serrano Español if you want to buy Jamón Serrano from the consortium. The mountain or Serrano ham is made from several different breeds of white pigs, such as Duroc, Landrace or Large White. They are fed mainly cereals and cured from 7 to 16 months.

Jamón Ibérico – This ham is made only from the Iberian pig. The breeding of the Iberian pig is restricted to an area in Southwestern Spain and Southeastern Portugal. Although fed some cereals, these pigs also roam countryside and feed on acorns. The curing process lasts from 14 to 36 months.

Jamón Serrano/Iberico Tapas

The original tapas recipe, and still hard to beat.  Slice your ham into wafer-thin small pieces and serve on a plate at room temperature.  Some warm, toasted bread drizzled with extra virgin olive oil is all you’ll need to make this an unforgettable experience.

Jamón Serrano with Almonds

Another very simple tapas recipe which can be prepared in an instant.  First you heat a frying pan with a little olive oil in, then throw in a couple of handfuls of whole almonds.  Give the pan a shake to evenly toast the nuts then sprinkle in some sea salt.  You then place some slices of ham on a plate and top it all off with the still-warm almonds - seriously good.