Jamon serrano, loosely translated, means mountain ham, and, as the name suggests, it comes from Spain’s mountainous areas. Traditionally, every country had a way of preserving food, before the advent of fridges, and in Spain, legs of pork were salted and hung in the cool mountain air to dry and cure over a period of months, or even years.

This tradition still exists, but has grown and become refined so that Spain’s mountain ham is now famous worldwide. There are many areas that produce these cured hams, but only six recognised areas of “denominacion de origen” or denomination of origin. These are Jamon de Teruel, Jamon Dehesa de Extremadura, Jamon de Guijuelo, Jamon de Trevelez, Jamon de Huelva and Jamon de Los Pedroches. As you can see two out of six of these areas are in Andalucia, Huelva and Trevelez, and they approach the industry from different viewpoints.

The first area is Huelva, and here the accent is on the pigs and what they eat, particularly in their last few months. The pigs in this area are reared on farms in wooded areas and fed on acorns. Once the pigs have been sacrificed the legs are salted and left for one day per kilo of weight. They are then washed, taken to the drying sheds for curing, and then to the bodega for finishing. This process takes 18 months.

The second area with a denomination of origin is Trevelez, which is in the Granada Alpujarras, and is the highest village in Spain. However, hams that are entitled to call themselves Jamon de Trevelez can come from any of the following villages, Trevelez, Portugos, Capileira, La Taha, Juviles, Berchules, Busquistar and Bubion. The common factor that unites these villages is that they are all 1,200 meters, or more above sea level, and this gives us our first clue as to how Trevelez approaches the ham curing business.

The accent here is on the pure, cold mountain air that sweeps down from the Sierra Nevada and has just the right degree of humidity for curing the hams. If you visit the Alpujarras you won’t see any pigs, unlike in Huelva. The pieces to be cured come from all over Spain in refrigerated lorries, and arrive during the autumn. The first stage is the salting process, when only pure sea salt is used. This process takes place from November to March. The salt is then removed and the hams allowed to rest. The weather is now a little warmer, which helps the process. As we move on towards summer the hams enter the sweating stage, and then finally, when the weather again turns cooler they go to the larder. The entire process has taken a year, and hams eaten at this stage are called “jamon dulce de Trevelez”. They can of course be cured for longer than this and, as in Huelva, the most popular ham would be about 18 months old. Trevelez ham has even been awarded Royal approval, by Queen Isabel II in 1863.

Wherever you travel in Spain you’ll come across these cured hams, and they are an essential part of any Spanish celebration. A wedding, first communion or Saint’s day just wouldn’t be the same without a jamon serrano, sliced thinly and beautifully displayed. Although ham eaten this way is a delicacy, it can also be used in more prosaic ways, such as in soups or stews. During the period after the Spanish Civil War, there was a lot of poverty in Spain, particularly in Andalucia, and it was rare indeed that normal housewives could afford ham. In typical Spanish fashion small businessmen moved in and it was common to see them hawking their wares from house to house in the cities. What they sold was a specific amount of time when the housewife could rent a ham bone to make soup or stew. The longer you could afford to rent the bone for the better the flavour of course. Fortunately, this is no longer necessary, but all parts of the cured ham are still used.

One of my favourite dishes which uses jamon serrano is “habas con jamon” or broad beans with mountain ham. This dish crops up on menus everywhere and is often available as a tapa. It varies slightly from place to place, but the principle ingredients of ham and broad beans are always there. Sometimes it includes translucent onions, at others burnished garlic, and at times has the bright red colour of fresh paprika. All varities are, however, wonderful.
Wherever you decide to purchase your ham from I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, but once started remember to store it in a cool, dry, well ventilated area, covering the exposed area with a muslin cloth. Never store jamon serrano in the fridge, the atmosphere is too wet, inducing mould, and too cold, which will destroy it’s delicate flavour. If you decide to buy a whole leg, it’s a good idea to buy a specially designed stand, plus the long, thin, very sharp knife for carving. Take care though, it’s not as easy as it looks to carve!