Denomination of Origin of the Iberian ham
In this post, we are going to talk about the designation of origin of the Iberian ham. As we have said in other posts, Iberian ham is part of a Mediterranean diet. Therefore, it is convenient to buy a good ham if you are going to eat it daily. The denomination of origin of the ham, which is also known as D.O., gives the characteristics that a good ham and a Iberian pig must have. This means, so that consumers know if the ham they are buying is a high-quality one or not.
In addition, there is another cause that led to this concept. Iberian ham is consumed everywhere in Spain. In the past, companies dedicated to the production and sale of Iberian ham began to appear massively. To prevent these companies from cheating consumers by selling a product with a quality that was not expected, the designation of origin of the Iberian ham was created.
The designations of origin of the Iberian ham that are recognized are 4 and we will comment them all below.
D.O. Jamón de Huelva
Reading the name, it seems that we refer only to the ham produced in Huelva. But this is not the case. D.O. Jamón de Huelva covers all the Iberian ham produced in Huelva, Cáceres, Cádiz, Sevilla, Málaga and Badajoz. In this case, the Iberian pig is raised surrounded by holm oaks and cork oaks. The climate in these areas is favorable for the raising of the Iberian pig, which makes its flavor unique. There are 31 different production areas, which are divided between the provinces we have just mentioned. Among the best-known areas are for example Aracena, Aroche, Alájar, Jabugo, Almonaster la Real, Encinasola, etc.
The cattle suitable for the Iberian hams or paletillas have the denomination of origin of the Ham of Huelva are those of Iberian race or those of crossbred with at least 75% of Iberian race.
D.O. Los Pedroches
This designation of origin of the Iberian ham was approved in 2006, making it one of the youngest in the group. There are 32 production areas. All of them are in El Valle de los Pedroches which is located in the north of Córdoba.
Some of the municipalities where the Iberian pig is raised are Benalcázar, Bélmez, Pozoblanco, Villanueva del Córdoba, Pedroche, Dos Torres, among others.
As with the previous one, so that this ham is recognized as D.O. Los Pedroches, the pig must be Iberian or crossbred with at least 75% of Iberian breed. In addition, these hams are characterized by their elongated and stylized shape.
D.O. Guijuelo
This designation of origin of the Iberian ham is the opposite of the previous one. This is because it was created in 1984, making it one of the oldest. The breeding of this Iberian pig is carried out in different areas of Spain, such as Andalucía, Extremadura or Castilla La Mancha. The climate in these areas is favorable so that the growth of the Iberian pig is optimal. This denomination owes its name to the town of Guijuelo, located in Salamanca.
As always, for the Iberian ham to be recognized as a designation of origin, the pig must be Iberian or crossbred with at least 75% of the Iberian breed.
D.O. Dehesa de Extremadura
Unlike the previous designations of origin of the Iberian ham, this is only formed by Iberian pigs raised in the Dehesa de Extremadura. Although it is true, it has almost one million hectares in these pastures for breeding. Some of the areas where this pig is raised and produced are the Sierra de San Pedro, Sierra de Montanchez, Cáceres-Gredos Sur, Ibor-Villuercas and Sierras del Suroeste de Badajoz.
Like the previous ones, for the Iberian ham to be recognized as a designation of origin, it must be an Iberian or crossbred pig with at least 75% of the Iberian breed.
Denomination of origin of white bred ham
Finally, we would like to mention that the white bred pig also has two denominations of origin so that people can differentiate the quality of the serrano ham.
On the one hand, it is from D.O. Trevelez. Its production area is in Granada and the pigs are crossbred.
On the other hand, is the D.O. Jamón de Teruel, which was the first created in Spain. These white bred pigs are raised exclusively in the province of Teruel.
We hope that, after reading this post, you will know about the designation of origin of the Iberian ham. We want you to enjoy the best flavor of a good Iberian ham.