Season's Eatings

Unavailable in the United States until 2008, Ibérico de Bellota is one of the world’s most coveted cuts of meat. The swine from which the bone-in ham is produced must be at least 75 percent black pig, a species found in parts of Spain and Portugal. The free-range pigs used for Ibérico de Bellota are fed an all-acorn diet, giving the meat an oily, nutty flavor that develops during two years of aging in the mountains near Salamanca, Spain. The Spanish-food importer La Tienda (800.710.4304, www.latienda.com) offers Ibérico de Bellota both sliced ($50 for 4 ounces) and whole ($1,400 for approximately 8.5 pounds).

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