Free shipping +info

Gastos de envío Free national and international shipping +info
Buy Gran Reserva Ham

Why is it called Serrano ham?

Jamón Serrano Gran Reserva

Otros idiomas: Español Français Deutsch Italiano

Why is it called Serrano ham? What is its origin and what are its characteristics? How is it made? We have to start from one premise: when we refer to Serrano ham, we are talking about a food obtained from the salting and air-drying process of the hind legs of the white pig. At Enrique Tomás we provide answers to these and other questions.

Jamón Serrano/Serrano ham: its origin and characteristics

Its origin

Jamón Serrano can only come from white pigs. Therefore, the first thing to point out is that it should never be confused with Iberian ham, which comes from the Iberian breed of pig, native to the Iberian Peninsula and whose physical characteristics are very different from those of the white pig.

Its name

cuanto tarda en curarse un jamon

Curing Process of the Jamón

It is believed that the name “Jamón Serrano” is related to the place where the hams were cured, i.e., in the mountains. The curing process is an artisanal work that requires the experience and care of master jamonero and this work was -and is- carried out in the Spanish mountain ranges where the exact conditions of temperature and humidity that the hams need to be at their best are found.

Its characteristics

  • Feed

Their diet is based on feed and cereals. The white pig is usually raised in an intensive regime, that is, in farms.

  • Breeds

The most common breeds are Duroc, Landrace, Large White or Pitrean.

  • Location

They are found all over the world and, consequently, there are cured hams similar to the Serrano type (as for the exeption of elaboration and final taste) in other places, such as Prosciutto in Italy or Presumto in Portugal, for example. Thus, this animal needs neither a specific habitat nor a specific climate as does the Iberian pig, which is raised only in the Iberian Peninsula.

  • Curing

In the case of Jamón, in general, it must be at least 12 months, but in the case of our Jamón Gran Reserva, for example, it is 18 months, which makes it an exceptional type of Serrano ham on the palate and with a higher curing period than the norm.

  • Weight

The minimum recommended weight for a Jamón Serrano to be marketed is 7 kg.

La imagen tiene un atributo ALT vacío; su nombre de archivo es jamonserrano_001-1024x576.jpg

Differences between Jamón Serrano and Jamón Ibérico

Jamón Serrano is a product obtained from Iberian breed pigs and Serrano ham is obtained from white pigs. Both hams are obtained from the hind legs of the animal, but Iberian ham, unlike Serrano ham, can only be produced in Spain and Portugal for two reasons; firstly, Iberian pigs are only found in our peninsula and, secondly, only in these countries are there the necessary climatic conditions for Iberian ham to be produced as it is.

Another difference is the curing process. This salt curing, which requires a specific time, is usually twelve months for Serrano ham, although Enrique Tomás cures it for eighteen months, and for Iberian ham it is between thirty-six and forty-eight months, depending on the weight of the piece.

In terms of flavor, Iberian hams have a genetic peculiarity that no other animal on Earth has, they infiltrate the fat into the muscle and this, together with a specific diet and the exercise that the pig can do in the pasture when it is free, gives rise to a very juicy meat full of nuances and aromas. Serrano ham can come from various types of white pig breeds, including Landrace, Large white, Pietrain and sometimes Duroc. However, as the latter has the capacity to infiltrate fat into the muscle like the Iberian pig, breeders usually cross it with the Iberian pig to produce Iberian ham.

Find out more in: “Differences between Jamón Serrano and Jamón Ibérico” or in the following video:

Why is the Jamón Serrano at Enrique Tomás the Jamón Gran Reserva ?

Because it is a jamón selected following very exhaustive quality controls. In the curing process we maintain enough fat so that the jamón can be cured for 18 months, exceeding the curing time of the rest of the Serrano hams on the market. For Enrique Tomás, the process of care and pampering is the same in all its hams, whether Iberian or non-Iberian, so that the result is a tasty Jamón, of exceptional quality and one of the best on the market.

Resumen
Sliced ham
Tipo de servicio
Sliced ham
Nombre del proveedor
ENRIQUE TOMÁS S.L.,
Holanda 27,Badalona,Barcelona-08917,
Telephone No.+34 383 84 85
Área
Sales Dpt.
Descripción
Do you want to know why it is called jamón serrano? Don't worry, at Enrique Tomás we take care of telling you these and other curiosities.

Otros idiomas: Español Français Deutsch Italiano

Comments

Deja un comentario

Tu email no se publicará.
  • *
  • *
  • *
Find out everything!
Sign up for the newsletter

To be on top of our new stores, recommended products, promotions and events.