Chapter 1- Types of cured ham. Differences and characteristics.

Follow us and discover how many types of cured ham there are. In Ibericomio we are not only crazy about Iberian ham, we like to investigate and learn about everything that is cured ham ….

So we have been reading a lot, researching and the result is a series of 6 chapters in which we will present you everything we know about cured hams from Spain and Europe.

We are sure that we have left out some curious and interesting information 🧐. Our aspiration is to give you some hints about cured hams, their denominations, varieties, curiosities. We hope you like it.

Let’s go to the first chapter.

How many types of ham are there?

The answer to this question is quite difficult. There are many cured hams and in different forms. In Europe alone, you will find more than 20 different varieties of cured ham under the different quality regimes established by the European Union. These regimes are: TSG (Traditional Speciality Guaranteed), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) and PDO (Protected Designation of Origin).

Throughout the series we are starting today, we will talk about all the hams we know. Surely there is some variety or denomination of cured ham that we have missed. If you know it, please send us an e-mail to locos@ibericomio.es so that we can add it to this article.

Perhaps the best known in Spain are Jamón Serrano and Jamón Ibérico. However, there are many other types of cured ham throughout Europe.

In this first chapter of the series, we will talk about the best known ham for all of us; Serrano ham. We will also explain the differences between a cured ham, a cellar ham and a Reserva ham.

Cured white ham in Spain and Serrano ham.

What is a Serrano ham?

Probably, you who read this article and we who wrote it, have incorrectly referred to any ham cured in Spain that is not Iberian ham as Serrano ham on more than one occasion.

Until the early 1960s, the “white layer” pig was little introduced in Spain.

Their legs begin to cure at that time and to differentiate them from traditional Iberian hams, they began to be called Serrano ham.

The Serrano ham TSG was entered in the Register of Traditional Specialties Guaranteed on December 3, 2008. Since that date, only ham that meets the following conditions can be called Serrano ham.

Fresh “in-blood” ham with leg must weigh a minimum of 9.5 kgs and the entire production process must take a minimum of 210 days – 7 months – from the time it is salted. The process includes the same phases as the curing of Iberian ham. Salting, post-salting, curing and refining.

A Serrano ham must reach a minimum loss of 33%. So if the minimum weight of a Serrano ham in blood is 9.5 kgs, a cured Serrano ham would have a minimum of 6.25 kgs.
Serrano ham can never be subjected to smoking processes or covered with paprika or other spices.

As a curiosity, the cut of the skin on Serrano ham can be round or V-shaped. In the case of a round cut, the skin will cover more of the surface of the ham.

It is common for the round cut to be used more with Serrano hams destined for the hotel and catering industry for use in the kitchen and with the least possible curing.

How many types of Iberian Ham are there?

The answer to this question could be a bit Galician-style: Types of Iberian ham, depending on what? If we attend to R.D. 4/2014, we would talk about 4 types of Iberian hams according to the seals of the standard:

• Cebo Ibérico Ham ( either 50%, 75% or 100% Iberian breed) with white seal
• Iberian Cebo Campo Ham (either 50%, 75% or 100% Iberian breed) accompanied by green seal.
• Iberian Acorn-fed Ham ( either 50% or 75% Iberian breed) identified with a red seal.
• 100% Iberian acorn-fed acorn-fed ham distinguished by its black seal.

We could also speak of Iberian ham by denomination of origin. There are 4 protected designations of origin for Iberian ham:

• Dehesa de Extremadura PDO Iberian Ham
• Iberian Ham DOP Guijuelo
• Jabugo PDO Iberian Ham
• Los Pesdroches PDO Acorn-fed Acorn-fed Ham

We could also talk about Iberian ham in whole piece, boneless, sliced. Another option, for example, would be by weight range of Iberian ham.

As you can see, there is as much room for as much as we want to segment. Perhaps we should ask ourselves the following questions:

Is there any classification of Iberian hams according to their quality?

There is no need to think about it. The answer is very easy; Yes, there is a classification of Iberian hams according to their quality.

This classification is provided, as always for Iberian ham, by the Iberian Ham Standard, i.e. RD 4/2014. This Royal Decree establishes the 4 commercial designations of Iberian ham that go from lower quality (white seal) to higher quality (black seal).

We would like to qualify the term “quality”. There are Iberian hams of exceptional quality in each of the four permitted commercial designations. However, we all understand that the highest quality will be in a 100% Iberian acorn-fed ham, the authentic pata negra because it comes from animals raised in the wild, fattened in La Montanera and of absolute Iberian racial purity. However, and we have seen it on more than one occasion, there are people who do not like a pata negra ham because of its acorn flavor or its lack of infiltrated fat. There are different tastes and colors.

What are the differences between a Bodega ham and a Reserva ham?

In Spain, today, approximately 90% of the production is of white layer hams, which would include those with the Jamón Serrano TSG and many other cured hams.

In supermarkets you will find different denominations for cured ham. We are talking about cured ham, bodega ham, reserva ham and gran reserva ham.

• Cured Ham. Ham cured for a minimum of 7 months.
• Bodega Ham. This ham has already reached nine months of curing.
• Reserve Ham. To obtain this qualification, 12 months of curing are required.
• Gran Reserva Ham. We are talking about hams that have been cured for a minimum of 15 months.

The four appellations apply to all cured hams that are not Ibérico. A Serrano ham can also carry these other “surnames” that we have just seen. But not all reserve or cellar hams can be called Serrano hams.

If you are thinking of buying a Serrano ham, remember that only those hams that have the identifying seal of the ETG of Serrano ham are authentic Serrano hams.

Another thing is if you want to buy a cured bodega ham or a gran reserva ham. If you are looking for a good gran reserva ham, we recommend this gran reserva ham from Extremadura .

Tips from ibericomio experts to enjoy any type of Serrano ham

To enjoy any Serrano ham, we would give basic advice, but we do not dare.

The main thing is to eat it calmly and enjoy the ham. Once we are already in this predisposition, the most important thing is that the ham is tempered. Ham, like many other products (cheese, fruit), loses all its flavor if it is too cold.

To taste it well in the mouth, it is good to raise it to the top of the palate and keep it there, so that it brings you all the flavor and the fat is well liquefied.

Accompany it with friends, with the people you love. Enjoying it in good company, with a good conversation is always a plus.

Now that we know a little more about the different types of cured ham, the difference between a cured ham and a serrano ham, and how to enjoy it, the following questions arise.

What are the protected ham products in Spain?

We have already talked about the Serrano ham TSG, we would like to move on to the next step, the PGI of Serón Ham and Trevélez Ham and the PDOs of Iberian ham and Teruel Ham. Do you want to know how many types of cured ham there are? Follow our series. In the next chapter you will discover the PGI’s of ham in Spain.