JAMON: THE PRIDE OF SPAINISH CUISINE

Each year, tourists return from Spain laden with gifts and souvenirs intended to encapsulate its vibrant culture. Whether it’s a postcard from a wind-swept medieval city or a colorful hand-decorated plate, it plays a role in preserving and sharing a Spanish memory. Yet for some, the most effective way to remotely capture the essence of Spain is through the taste, sight and smell of its food, particularly, its treasured jamon.

Jamon, in Spain, is not simply ham. It is a cultural icon and everyday indulgence, with ingredients and methods of production so distinctly Spanish that until very recently, it was scarcely available outside of its borders. Jamon is featured on nearly every street in Spain, with ruby-red hams dangling in markets and restaurant windows, and smells from jamon tapas tantalizing those passing by lively bars. Spain eats more ham than any other country in the world, and Spaniards are passionately patriotic about their own jamon.

Now that the best of all three very unique types of Spanish jamon: Serrano, iberico, and the legendary iberico de bellota, are available in North America and Europe, tourists and other cultural explorers can finally experience a taste of Spain with their friends and family in the comfort of their own home. This site is intended to introduce and explain the cultural and culinary phenomenon of jamon so that the readers may appreciate how it has earned its reputation as the world’s greatest ham.

Golden Iberico Hams from La Alberca
After years of curing, Iberico hams are ready to be enjoyed.