Spanish Hams Recommended by David Rosengarten

Until recently, Spanish hams have been unavailable in the United States because of the government's ban on importation of foreign meat products. But recently two large companies—Navidul (with connections to Hormel!), and Redondo Iglesias—received approval to bring this delicacy into the country.

So far, I have been more impressed by the jamón from Navidul. And The Spanish Table is a perfect source. They will ship to you, if you desire, a whole 15-pound Redondo Iglesias Jamón (bone-in or boneless; I far prefer bone-in) for $225, a great idea for a party! Make sure to request the Black Label jamón that's 18 months old.

And if your taste has been whetted for the mind-bending, heretofore unavailable-in-America Spanish ham made from the Iberico pigs, I especially urge you to log onto www.tienda.com. Why? Get this: Tienda is planning to select 600 hams from acorn-eating Iberico pigs, and supervise their production. The hams will be ready for Christmas of 2004, when they will become the first Iberico hams to arrive in the United States! And you can be part of this amazing adventure. On the Tienda Web site right now, you have an opportunity to claim one (or more) of those hams. They will cost about $500 each (cheap for Iberico), plus shipping. Tienda says no payment is required right now, but later on you may be asked for a down payment. If you have any questions, call 1-888-472-1022 and ask for Tim Harris, or e-mail him at tienda.comtim@.