Our Jamon de Bellota 50% Raza Iberica is a real showstopper. This ham is made from the acorn shoulder of pigs raised in the beautiful Dehesa de Antonio Álvarez "Jamones" in the Pedroches Valley, Córdoba. Here the pigs have plenty of space to walk around freely and feed on juicy acorns, resulting in a unique and refined taste.

What is Jamon de Bellota?

Jamon de Bellota is a unique and high-quality raw ham from Spain. The word "Bellota" refers to the acorns that provide food for the pigs from which this ham is made. It is a special delicacy known for its excellent quality and characteristic taste.

The pigs used for Jamon de Bellota are of the Iberian breed, also known as the Iberian pig. These pigs are raised in the wild and have plenty of space to roam freely in vast oak forests known as "dehesas". The diet of these pigs consists mainly of acorns, resulting in a unique and rich taste.

48+ months aged raw ham

The process of making Jamon de Bellota 50% Raza Iberica is an art in itself. After carefully selecting the pork shoulders, they are salted and cured in Trevélez's drying chambers. This natural maturing process takes more than 48 months, during which the ham is given plenty of time to develop and perfect its flavors. It is precisely those 48 months that ensure that the raw ham acquires its characteristic taste and that the ham melts on your tongue, as it were.

The maturing process

Before you put raw ham on a tapas board, a whole process has gone into maturing the ham to perfection. Below you will find the steps that provide insight into the ripening process!

1. First of all, the ham is selected for ripening. This requires craftsmanship. The hams are carefully chosen by looking at their quality and ripening potential. After all, you have to wait 48 months (for the Jamon de Bellota 50% Raza Iberica) until the ham has matured, so it is important that you carry out good quality control in advance.
2. Before the hams enter the drying room, they are salted. Salting ensures that moisture is extracted from the ham, which is essential for a successful ripening process. They are then thoroughly washed and dried.
3. Time to go into the drying room! The drying room is a controlled environment in which the hams can mature. It is usually a cool, ventilated area with specific humidity and temperature parameters. These conditions are essential for a slow and gradual ripening of the hams.
4. The length of time it needs to mature varies per ham. The Jamon de Bellota 50% Raza Iberica is aged for 48 months. In other hams this varies from several months to even years. During this time the ham undergoes a complex biochemical transformation. The moisture in the ham gradually evaporates, concentrating the flavor and developing the texture. The fat in the hams begins to soften and spreads evenly throughout the meat, creating a delicious tenderness.
5. So it is not the case that you close the door of the drying room behind you for 48 months. There's more to it than putting a ham in a drying room and waiting for months. The hams are regularly checked during the ripening process. Any excess fat and mold are removed to maintain the quality of the ham. The experts closely monitor the conditions in the drying chamber and adjust the humidity and temperature if necessary to promote the optimal ripening process.
6. Result: After completing the ripening process, the hams are carefully checked and assessed for quality. The result is a beautiful raw ham with a complex taste, a delicate texture and a delicious aroma.

Aging hams in drying chambers is an artisanal art that embraces the essence of traditional flavors and techniques. It is a process that requires patience, expertise and love for the profession. The result is a masterpiece of taste and quality that makes for a beautiful raw ham. This also applies to the Jamon de Bellota 50% Raza Iberica!