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Telling one jamón from another
Over the centuries, Spain has perfected the art of curing meat to create a culture that makes sampling the many regional varieties of jamón a gastronomic pilgrimage through flavour, texture and taste.
While there is an almost endless list of delicious charcutería products in Spain, there are two main types of cured hams that dominate: the Ibérico and the Serrano.
The black footed Ibérico pigs are descended from wild Iberian boars that roamed the great forests of medieval Spain. Today, they continue a mostly free and uninhibited life among the giant oak trees of the Dehesas region in southern Spain and neighbouring Portugal where they forage on a nutritious mix of fallen acorns, succulents and plants.
The diet of these Pata Negra – black leg – pigs imbues a fragrant blend of nuttiness, earthiness, floral essences, and buttery afternotes in the meat. Through a bespoke maturing process that sees hams hung for many years, the flavours of Jamón Ibérico come alive. Ibérico hams are famous worldwide for their sumptuous melt-in-the-mouth quality.
Serrano hams, roughly translating as ‘mountain ham’, represent around 95% of the Spanish pig trade and there are thousands of in- dependent and artisan producers dotted across the landscape. The best Serrano comes from Spanish regions where traditional methods and specialist curing play the central role, such as Teruel, Trevélez and Girona.
Meat from the various white pig breeds that produce Serrano ham has a meatier and more savoury flavour than that of Iberian pigs and is best enjoyed in finely sliced, smooth cuts. The quality of a Serrano ham depends on expertise of selection and butchery, a prac- tised salting and curing period, as well as carefully maintained climatic conditions.
Many of our suppliers’ hams are from purebred herds droves of Duroc pigs and are notable for being lower in salt content. Their sweeter and mellower flavours, which make them stand out from the market of mass produced Serrano, distinguish the cuts as the perfect complements to any tapas, cheese or charcuterie board.
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