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Choosing your ham

How to choose Iberian or Pata Negra ham?

Here we aim to help you tell the difference between the various hams and shoulders.

First of all, it's important to know that Pata Negra Ham and Iberian Ham are similar, but not the same.
Pata Negra ham comes from 100% Iberian pigs fed on acorns (bellotas).
Iberian ham can be fed on acorns or not, and can be crossed with Duroc pigs.

The ham is the pig's hind leg and the shoulder its front leg. The price difference is that there is more loss on a shoulder than on a ham. Both are good.
Choose between the two according to your consumption potential. Shoulders have a lot of fat and therefore more loss when cut.

If you want to eat them in moderation, think sliced and boned, but there's nothing better than a ham cut just before consumption.

The different qualities depend on how the pigs are fed, reared and, above all, the purity of the breed. All the Iberian or Pata Negra products we offer here are free-range. Their quality will depend solely on their diet and breed purity.

Since the law of 2014 all hams are controlled and must have a colored bracelet that indicates its quality. This prevents fraud and gives customers a little more guidance.

The different qualities:

- Cebo Iberian Ham: The pig is of the Iberian breed, fed on cereals and not raised in a free-range environment. It is often simply called Jambon Ibérique. This quality is not sold at Espagne-Gourmet. Minimum 50% Iberian breed (white wristband)

- Cebo de Campo Iberian Ham: The pig is of the Iberian breed, fed on cereals and grass and sometimes acorns, but in limited quantities. The animals are free-range in forests. Minimum 50% Iberian breed (green wristband).

- Iberian Bellota Ham or Iberian Bellota Ham: The pig is of at least 50% Iberian breed and fed on acorns, roots and grasses. The animals are completely free-range in certified oak forests. The advantage of 50% Iberico is that it has less fat than 100% Iberico, and is also very tasty (red bracelet).

- Bellota Pata Negra Iberian Ham: The pig is 100% Iberian and fed on acorns, roots and herbs. The animals are completely free-range in certified oak forests. A Pata Negra ham is always Bellota. It's the best distinction. (Black strap)

A final word of advice is that ham should always be eaten at room temperature, for best enjoyment. If you slice your ham, remember to cut it very thinly, taking both flesh and fat from the same piece to appreciate it fully.
The fat of Iberian ham is very tasty and is what makes this breed exceptional, so don't reject it and take it as an asset of the product.

Important:

- Iberian ham, even if it's not Pata Negra, is very good, and some people even prefer it because it has a little less fat. This does not mean that there will be no fat.

- A fatty ham is normal, and even more so for the shoulders. It's the Iberian breed that gives it this characteristic. Without it, a shoulder could not be matured for up to 2 years, and a ham for up to 4 years.

- If you prefer less fat, choose an Iberian ham or one that is not 100% Iberian.

- When you buy a whole piece of ham, you lose bone and superfluous fat. A shoulder contains 35% meat, a ham 45%. Shoulders have more fat than hams, and therefore more loss when cut. This is normal and in no way a defect. This explains the difference in price, but by no means the taste, which is the same.

- If you see Pata Negra ham on the market and it's not marked as "Bellota", it's very likely that it's not.

Spain-Gourmet offers hams in various formats: Iberian ham and whole pata negra ham, as well as Iberian ham and boned and sliced pata negra ham.

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Choosing your ham

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