When talking about good hams in the world, Spain sits undoubtedly on the top of the ranking. On Christmas, the Iberian ham would never lack in presence on a Spanish family diner. But to our surprise, neither the acorn-fed Iberian ham nor the blackleg is the priciest one in the world. According to experts, currently, the most expensive ham in the world is the Manchado de Jabugo. It is a scarce breed of Iberian pigs.
Where is Jabugo?
Jabugo locates in the Province of Huelva. Surrounding the city is a vast natural park named Sierra of Aracena and Aroche Peak. This ecosystem provides an excellent reserve for local lives, building a firm foundation for ham production.
With hundreds of years of experience in ham curing, Jabugo has gained its name in the world of Jamon. Nowadays in Spain, when mentioning ham, Jabubo would be the first word that comes to people’s minds. It is the equivalence of premium quality.
In Jabugo, there’re many curing cellars where you can experience the whole process of ham making as a visitor.
A superb place to grow up
The taste and price of hams in Jabugo don’t come out of nowhere.
In the Aracena Nature Reserve, the piglets are 100% raised in an organic way.
They roam freely outdoors on this land with endless oak trees. When getting thirsty, mountain springs are their drink. While hunger comes, the acorns fell on the ground turn to their energy bars. These acorns are rich in protein and fat, and that’s what gives the ham a unique nutty aroma.
Each pig enjoys 5 hectares of area to move around as he wishes, and they run on average 10 to 15 kilometers per day. Under such intensity of exercise, they could evenly distribute the fat throughout their legs.
With such a large amount of exercise and nutritional supply, they live even a healthier life than many human beings.
The health care they receive during the growth period is meticulous. Any injury or illness is treated through natural methods. The breeder will heal the wounds with oak ash or olive oil and deworm them with mint and pumpkin seeds.
All these conditions attribute to the final product being the most expensive ham in the world.
Provided with such exquisite resources, the pigs reach their optimum weight after about three years.
4100 euros per leg
It is pretty astonishing how these pigs grow up, and correspondingly, the dry-curing process for such type of ham also surpasses the average.
The ham needs to cure for 6 years in a curing cellar. Plus three years of feeding, it takes nearly 10 years to produce a ham of such fantastic quality.
A local businessman who raises this breed of pig only produces 80 hams per year. In terms of price, this top-quality ham sells for 4,100 euros each, making it the most expensive ham in the world. Even so, every year before Christmas, all the hams produced that year will be sold out.
Other delicacies in town
There are many restaurants and bars in the town where you can go to try some local ham. The finely sliced hams are almost transparent. With a balanced proportion of fat and lean meat, its fragrance pairs perfectly with a cup of wine. And that’s when the ultimate taste in the world flows on the tip of your tongue.
The pork loin, blood sausage, and salami they offer are also worth trying.
Don’t miss some other traditional dishes of Huelva. To cool down under the summer heat, start with a cold Andalusian soup, followed by a tender and juicy lamb or bacon stew. If you come in a group, do order some fresh Atlantic seafood for share: white shrimp, fried calamari, grilled sardines, steamed mussels, and clams, etc. Simply with some down-to-earth dishes, I’m sure you could feel the joy of life as an Andalusian does.
There are much more curiosities about this delicious and expensive ham. Contact us if you would like to experience the whole process of ham making!