A prized pig

Of all the ham produced in Spain, jamón ibérico (made from the black Iberian breed of pigs) is often the most prized, on account of its distinctive flavour. It is officially recognised in various ‘denomenacións de origen’, geographical indicators similar to the appellation d'origine contrôlée used in France for wine and other products. One such region with its own denominación de origen is Jabugo, the area around a small town of the same name in Andalucía, which is famously devoted to producing the ham.

Jamón ibérico de bellota (jamón from pigs fed on bellota, or acorns) tends to be the most gourmet version and is produced across the various regions, including Jabugo. Rather than being produced from animals raised purely on feed, to be recognised as ‘de bellota’, the pigs must graze only on fresh pasture and acorns that fall from oak trees for at least 61 days of the year (though the acorn period usually extends longer than two months).

To help consumers navigate this complex set of factors, Spain introduced a colour-coding system in 2014 that categorises jamón according to quality, with a black label being the highest.