The noble pigs of the Spanish Extremadura

In April 2017, Bell took over the production facilities of the Spanish ham and charcuterie specialist Nobleza Ibérica, based in Extremadura, the Ibérico stronghold in south-western Spain. Among meat lovers, the region is known above all for one thing: the ham from black Ibérico pigs, jamón ibérico.

The semi-wild noble pigs

Ibérico ham is one of the highest quality hams in the world. Its unique taste and tender texture make it a popular product among experts and amateurs alike.

This exquisite delicacy is based on Ibérico pigs, a breed that is unique in the world. They differ from conventional domestic pigs mainly due to their dark color and smaller size. Physiognomically, they are more similar to wild boar, but without the wild aroma. Due to their often black paws, the pigs are also known colloquially as pata negra ("black claw"). However, this name is no longer permitted in the trade.

The animals live semi-wild in the Spanish dehesa, a sparse forest of holm and cork oaks. In the oak groves, the pigs feed on natural food such as acorns, grass and aromatic herbs. The constant movement while foraging leads to an overall longer fattening period of up to 14 months and consequently to a better distribution of fat.

During the months from fall to winter, when the acorns fall from the trees, the pigs feed almost exclusively on acorn fruits. During this period, the pigs reach almost double their original weight. The oil contained in the acorns is deposited in the muscles and gives the ham its unique, buttery-nutty flavor.

Bellota, cebo and cebo de campo

The quality of Ibérico ham depends largely on how the animals are reared and fed. The best ham, jamón ibérico de bellota, comes from animals that feed exclusively on acorns during the last phase of fattening. They eat between six and ten kilograms of acorns per day. They do not receive any fattening feed and grow up in the wild apart from the first few weeks of their lives. Last but not least, the quality is also influenced by the maturing time: a jamón ibérico de bellota matures for up to 24 months.

Jamón ibérico de cebo, on the other hand, comes from animals that are fed exclusively on fattening feed. Pigs that produce jamón ibérico de cebo de campo are fed on fattening feed at the beginning, then acorns and then fattening feed again in the final fattening phase. Basically, the higher the proportion of acorn fattening and the longer the fattening and maturing period, the higher the quality of the ham.

Despite this, a jamón ibérico de cebo or de cebo de campo still trumps conventional hams in terms of quality by a good margin: genetically, the fat of the ibérico pigs is deposited in the muscle tissue and not just under the rind, which makes the meat particularly aromatic.

Popular Spanish charcuterie

The meat of the Ibérico pigs is not only processed into jamón (ham shoulder) and palleta (ham shoulder). Other Spanish charcuterie products, known as embutidos, are also made from the high-quality meat of the Iberian noble pigs

The best known is probably chorizo, the spicy paprika sausage. Less well known, however, is the lomo, the trimmed loin, which is trimmed of fat, marinated and then air-dried in natural casing.

The morcón is characterized by its slightly lower fat content compared to the chorizo due to its leaner meat.

The salchichón is a coarse dry sausage that is not dissimilar to a salami and is considered a sought-after delicacy.

Sliced, the charcuterie specialties are usually enjoyed as small snacks and are therefore among the most popular tapas dishes.