Jamón !

Jabugo (Huelva, Spain)

The village of Jabugo
Jabugo is a village located in the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche nature park, in the northern part of the province of Huelva (Andalusia, Spain). Situated 658 meters (2158 feet) above sea level, it has a population of 2,600 inhabitants.

In Jabugo, productive activity essentially revolves around the holm oaks, grains, olive trees, pigs and pork products (jamones and chacinas) for which it is famous. Legend has it that jamones were created when a pig one day fell into a gully with very salty water, and drowned. Shepherds found the pig and roasted it, discovering that the meat - particularly the hind leg - had a pleasant flavour. Later they discovered that when the hind leg was salted it lasted longer without losing its flavour, and the method was thereafter perfected. Today, spanish Iberian ("Ibérico") jamon constitutes one of the world's most exquisite products.

PIGS AND THE "DEHESA"

Pigs here are either pure Iberian breed (black and "retinto") or Duroc-Jersey crosses with 75% Iberian blood. In Jabugo there is also a native strain known as "Manchado de Jabugo" because of the white spots on its skin ("manchado" translates literally as "stained"). Its flesh is red, and its fat is very soft and grayish-yellow in colour.

Pigs begin foraging upon reaching a weight of about 90 Kg, and continue until attaining their ideal weight of around 170 Kg, between the months of January and February.

They grow in an ecosystem, the "dehesa", that is similar to the dehesa de Extremadura: large tracts of sparsely wooded land with scattered trees, mainly holm oaks. Iberian breed pigs are the only animals of this species in which stored fat is redistributed thoughout the body, infiltrating the muscle fibers. When the pig has consumed a diet with a high acorn content this fat is of superior quality, giving the flesh its characteristic texture, aroma and flavour.

Source: www.ibergour.com/en/jamon/jamon_jabugo.html


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