Jamón Ibérico de Bellota is the ultimate of its kind, in a class with Beluga caviar or Kobe beef. Thin slices of this finest of all hams will literally start to melt at room temperature. The reason is that the jamón is marbled with golden, acorn flavored fat that is rich in unsaturated healthy oils. Once the ham hits your palate, there is an explosion of complex, delicate flavors with very little saltiness.

Ibérico de Bellota hams come from an ancient breed of pig, Cerdo Ibérico, which has been roaming the woodland meadows of western Spain feeding on acorns for thousands of years. Jamón Ibérico de Bellota is the pride of Spain, and Spaniards consume the vast majority of the limited number of hams produced in their own country. Some producers have waiting lists for several years for their best products.

Each fall a traditional group of breeders set aside a select group of young pigs, allowing them to roam the 'dehesa' woodlands. There they feast upon acorns which are falling in abundance from the holm oak and cork trees. They gorge themselves, putting on at least two pounds of weight each day!

When it is time for their sacrifice (the Spanish term for slaughter), these genetically unique animals produce Jamón Ibérico de Bellota hams that are marbled with rich golden fat infused with the flavor of the Ibérico pigs' favorite food: the acorn -'bellota' in Spanish.

Remarkably, the fat in these special hams is mono-unsaturated, similar to healthy olive oil. Sliced paper-thin, it glistens at room temperature and provides an inimitable rich nutty flavor and tender texture.

These boneless Ibérico de Bellota hams are especially handy for slicing, and have a minimum amount of waste. You need less carving expertise that the traditional bone-in one.

Since La Tienda was founded in 1996 we sought out this finest of all hams, which was not available in the U.S. Our friends at Jamones Fermin spent years building a facility to comply with U.S. rules, and finally the first Jamón Ibérico de Bellota arrived in 2007.

Situated in the picturesque mountain village of La Alberca in the province of Salamanca, the curing rooms enjoy the ideal climate for curing exquisite hams. The hams hang for over two years in the clean mountain air, losing over 40% of their weight as much of the fat melts away. The changing seasons heat and cool the hams, fostering a complex, fundamental change to the flavor and texture of each. Much less salt is used in curing Ibérico hams, and a full, rich, nutty flavor shines through in each slice.

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En La Tienda, nos hemos lanzado a la búsqueda del mejor de todos los jamones, el jamón ibérico, desde que abrimos el negocio. Como el caviar de Beluga o la carne de Kobe, el jamón ibérico es el rey de su especie. Los jamones ibéricos están veteados de ricas grasas doradas, rebosantes del sabor de su comida favorita, la bellota. Cortados en lonchas tan finas como el papel, tiene un rico sabor abellotado y una textura tierna. El jamón ibérico es el orgullo de España, y los españoles consumen la mayor parte de estos jamones en su propio país.

Algunos productores tienen listas de espera de varios años para sus mejores productos. La fecha objetivo de entrega del jamón ibérico pata negra entero se fijará para 2008. Cada jamón se pesará antes de enviarlo. Averigüe más cosas sobre este jamón de pata negra de España en nuestra página web.