Jabugo, production and maturation area

PRESERVATION OF IBERIAN HAM

Jabugo, production and maturation area

It is a production area protected by the Jabugo Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), which is made up of the natural area in which ecological factors, together with technical and human factors, give rise to a product with its own qualities. that have traditionally characterised the surroundings of the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park, whose pastures, located in the Province of Huelva, are recognised as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.

Jabugo is a small town in Huelva, with about 2,700 inhabitants, located in the center of the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche Natural Park. The excellence of the curing of its hams has made this population synonymous with the quality of this product.

These hams, known worldwide, have followed a production and elaboration process that has been protected by its own Denomination of Origin (DO), that of Jabugo (one of the oldest) and that covers 31 production areas: Jabugo (properly), Alajar, Almonaster la Real, Aracena, Aroche, Cala, Cañaveral de León, Galaroza, and Cumbres Mayores among others.

Over time, Jabugo has become the cradle of the best ham in the world.

Qualities

Jabugo establishes the necessary quality controls to be able to guarantee the final consumer the hams and shoulders covered by their quality counterpart. For this, it has the appropriate Technical, Control and Surveillance Services, as well as a Final Qualification Committee. It controls the marking of the animal in the livestock farms, monitoring its genetics, handling and feeding, the curing process, the sealing and the final labelling of the pieces.

Identity signs

The hams and shoulders are classified by vintages that coincide with the auction date of the Iberian pigs, immediately before slaughter. Its main characteristics are:

The narrowness of the shaft and the slim shape of its silhouette are its true identity traits.
Length predominates over width.
Its external face is covered by white or blue-gray fungal flora, a feature of the slow and characteristic maturation process in the cellar.
When cut, they present numerous veins of streaky grease,
between your lean meat.
The color of its meat, between pink and purple-red depending on its degree of cure.
Its shiny appearance, as a result of the low melting point of the fat provided by the acorn.

PRESERVATION OF IBERIAN HAM