Jamon

This year for Christmas we decided to treat ourselves to a Spanish Jamon as there would be nine of us for some time!  They look fantastic on their stands and pretty much every spanish family we know has one (or sometimes even two!).  When buying one, you need to do a little research to fully understand what you are paying for so it is worth spending a little time on the internet to get some background information.  Spanish cuisine has become very fashionable in London in the last few years (it tends to be much closer to english cuisine than, say, French cuisine.  It is more robust and less fussy and usually very delicious.  They are proud of their Jamon and rightly so.  You see them hanging in bars and restaurants all over Spain and at Chrismtas time in every supermarket.  In London I know you can pay hundreds of pounds for a Jamon so if I were you I would just book a flight for a weekend break and pay less than half the price here!

Here is  a quick look at the different types of Jamon you can buy

Jamon Iberico de bellota – the king of hams from free range Iberian black pigs fed on a diet purely of acorns.  Utterly divine and you can taste the nuttiness – even the fat is healthier as it is 60% nut, similar in goodness to olive oil which melts at room temperature.

Iberico de Recebo – the next best thing and quite a bit cheaper as although they are also free range, they feed from pasture and grain as well as acorns but truly sensational as well

Jamon Iberico

Still free-range black Iberian pigs, but fed on compound feed – very good value and great tasting

Jamon Serrano

The most common jamon that you will find in all supermarkets in abundance – it is really delicious but ordinary cured ham that comes from white pigs.  It is obviously the most affordable and you can buy an entire leg for around 30 euros.  Fabulous with melon as a starter or lunch dish.

All our guests are served Serrano Jamon at some time or another during their stay.  If anyone wants to taste the Jamon de bellota I add it to the menu as it is much better value for money here than in the UK.  For more detailed information on the different types of Jamon go to www.jamon.com