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.
Versions
Nobody has published a jamon iberico here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.
What goes in it
Each one opens everything else made with it.
bread
olive oil