Dish · spanish
Jamon Iberico
Thin slices of cured ham from Iberian pigs, dark red and marbled with fat that turns soft at room temperature, usually served alone or draped over bread rubbed with tomato and oil.
Where it comes from
The ham comes from pigs raised partly on acorns in the dehesa woodlands of Spain and Portugal, then cured and air-dried for a year or more. The acorn diet is central to the most prized grade, called bellota.
What cooks argue about
The real variable is cut: sliced by hand with a knife, in thin, slightly uneven pieces that keep more of the fat intact, versus a machine slicer, which many say flattens the flavor.
Nobody has published a jamon iberico recipe yet. The page stays out of search until one exists, which is the rule for every thin page here.