If someone made a list of the most famous delicacies in the world, 'jamón' would surely be among the top ten dishes. The dry ham of a black Iberian pig, with an intriguing smell, powerful flavor, fine veins of melting fat, similar in composition to oil - its worldwide fame is definetely well deserved.

The word 'jamón' in the world means, in addition to its delicacy, the dry jerky of the hind leg of pork that is cut into thin and translucent slices. Being a gastronomic heritage of Spain, the 'jamón' is protected by its origin and has a strict classification that allows it to clearly distinguish 'jamón' varieties.

The two main types of 'jamón' are Serrano and Iberian. You can see the difference between these two types yourself. Serrano - distinctive feature: a white pig, a ham has a white hoof; Iberian - distinctive feature: a black pig with a black leg.

The first one is made of white pig ham that consumes mixed foods and is a cheap delicacy for every day. According to the traditional technology, the rooms where the ham is dried were tried to build on elevations, which explains the name (serrano means 'mountain'). Other words, such as 'curado', 'reserva' or 'extra', may also appear in the name of 'jamón serrano', but as its use is not regulated, its presence (or absence) means nothing.

Iberian ham is a more expensive type of 'jamón' made of black Iberian ham. Maintaining and cultivating such pigs is long and expensive, since black pigs only eat acorns, therefore, 'jamón iberico' is valued much more than 'jamón serrano' and its flavor is significantly different.

The history of 'jamón' began more than 2000 years ago, it is the pride and treasure of the Spaniards, their incredible and famous cuisine. 'Jamón' is a delicacy that occupies a decent place on the menu of almost all restaurants in the world. For cooking the leg of a pig is salted and dried. It will be approximately 2 years before this wonderful product arrives at your table!

All the procedures are carried out under certain conditions subject to humidity and temperature regimes.

In 'jamón' content there's a minimum of cholesterol and in his native land Spain it is the most consumed meat product. You will learn more about the stages of making Spanish delicacies by visiting the 'jamón' factory as part of our gastronomic tour.

Making of 'jamón' itself is a whole art that you will get acquainted with, but not less important is the process of cutting it.

Who would've thought but the mechanical cut worsens the flavor of the 'jamón'! In Spain there is even a special profession - 'jamón' cutter. Depending on the qualifications and experience, hiring such specialist for any celebration can cost from 30 euros up to ...

And believe me, the taste will be different too!

'Jamón iberico' has its own ambassador Florencio Sanchidrian, 53, who was born in Ávila by the way and is known worldwide as a 'jamón' cutter. His fee is about 3700 euros for a leg! King Juan Carlos, George Bush, Pope Benedict and other worthy people are among his clients.