Iberian ham lives its golden age at Christmas. Supermarkets and specialized stores are filled with promotions of Iberian legs. An assortment that varies a lot in price, from 500 to 100 euros for a piece that bears the Iberian name. Why does this happen? Well, because the Iberian character does not only imply 100% Iberian pigs that have been fed by acorns. Fortunately, there is a system of seals that indicates the different types of hams.
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A part of the Iberian ham sector thinks that However, the – allows them to be sold with That is, pieces from animals that have been born from a cross between stallions of the North American Duroc breed and mothers of the Iberian breed.
The two ways of classifying Iberian ham: breed or type of food
Beyond the controversy, the current regulatory framework is clear and has established a system of color-coded seals that indicate the type of feed that the pig has been fed and a label that encrypts the percentage of the Iberian breed that the pig has.
Three types of Iberian ham according to their percentage of Iberian breed
Three types of Iberian hams according to the percentage of the Iberian breed of the pigs
Royal Decree 1469/2007 establishes a series of percentages of Iberian breed for all those hams that want to bear the Iberian surname. So, set the following.
– 100% Iberian: both the father and the mother are of certified Iberian breed.
– Iberian 75%: the mother is 100% certified Iberian breed and the father is 50% Iberian.
– Iberico 50%: the mother is of the 100% certified Iberian breed and the father is of the Duroc breed.
Three types of Iberian ham according to the diet received
Type of food that Iberian pigs can take
The other form of key classification refers to the type and form of feeding, since hams from pigs raised free in the dehesa and fed on acorns will have a different flavor than pigs raised in buildings and fed on fodder. Thus, the standard has established three groups.
– Acorn: these pigs are kept in the field for a minimum of 2 months before slaughter, feeding exclusively on what they can find in the dehesa (grass, acorns…). The density is between 0.25 and 1.25 pigs per hectare.
– Cebo en campo: it is the ham from pigs that are also reared with cereal and legume feed, but spend part of their life outdoors, with a density of 1 pig per 100 m2 or 10 animals per hectare.
– De Cebo: these hams come from animals that have been reared with cereal and legume feed inside sheds or feedlots, where they have 2 m2 for each one.
The Iberian ham classification system by seals: includes the type of food and the percentage of Iberian breed
System of seals for Iberian hams
Another novelty introduced by the 2014 law was the introduction of a series of colored seals (black, red, green and white) that indicate whether it is a 100% Iberian or a crossed Iberian and the feeding system that has been used. carried the pig (acorn, field bait, bait).
– Black seal: indicates the ham comes from a 100% Iberian pig that part of its feeding and growth has been carried out in the pasture and with acorns.
**Important note: what the rest of the seals indicate is the type of feed that a pig has received. In other words, the client must pay attention not only to the color of the seal but also to the percentage of the Iberian breed, which can be 100%, 75% or 50%).
– Red Seal: they are carried by hams from pigs with a percentage of Iberian breed of 75% or 50% that part of their feeding and breeding has been carried out in the pasture and with acorns.
– Green seal: indicates that the ham comes from a 100% Iberian or crossbred pig (75% or 50%) that has followed a ‘field feed’ type diet, that is, based on feed and products from the dehesa.
– White Seal: establishes that it is a ham from a 100% Iberian or cross-bred pig (75% or 50%) that has undergone intensive rearing and has been fed on fodder.
How to identify the different types of Iberian ham by sight and taste
This type of seals and labels are very clear when buying a whole piece of ham. When the Iberian ham is bought by slices, you have to see the label and trust your trusted butcher. However, below you have a series of tips to recognize the different types of Iberian ham by sight and taste.
100% Iberian acorn-fed ham: darker wine-red meat, it has very little grain and the white fat forms a kind of ‘Y’. The cane is narrow and elongated and the body is also fine. The piece shines and exudes natural fat.
Acorn-fed Iberian ham crossed at 50% or 75%: the cane is coarser, it is not as elongated and the body is also coarser. The fat does not form a ‘Y’ and is spread over the entire surface of the lean (pinkish-red in color) in the form of fine strands of white fat. In fact, the more pinkish and streaky this area is, the less pure the animal is. . Being fed with acorn, you can see the natural fat.
Cebo de campo or cebo Iberico ham: it is also more corpulent and voluminous, it has small infiltrations, but the natural unctuousness is not appreciated because it has not eaten acorn.
How to identify the different types of Iberian ham at the price
The sight or the palate is not the only way to differentiate it. It is also interesting to have a price reference. According to businessman Enrique Tomás, some indicative prices could be: black seal, 25 euros/100 grams; red seal, 15 euros/100 grams; green seal, 12 euros/100 grams; white seal, 8.50 euros/100 grams.
Another reference to bear in mind is the guide published last year by the A document that established the following indicative prices:
– Bait: average price per kg of 64 euros.
– Bellota: 149 euros for the 50% Iberian pig and 234 euros/kg for the 100% Iberian pig.
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