Jamón Ibérico, for the refined carnivore

I recently learned that my boyfriend has a really expensive addiction. No, no, don’t worry it isn’t imported from his native Colombia, but from Spain. Spanish ham. Jamón Ibérico. And at $100 a pound this is not your ordinary deli meat….

I knew he had an expensive pallet, and I knew he was a ham lover (when he came to visit me in New York he spent like 50 dollars at the deli section of Dean & Deluca). But he first told me about these very special Spanish pigs a few weeks ago when reminiscing about his recent trip to Paris. While wandering along a side street off of Avenue de Montaigne, he and a buddy discovered a small restaurant serving the highest quality jamón ibérico de bellota (belotta means acorn). The ham comes from free-range pigs that happily spend their days roaming oak forests (called la dehesa). They live along the southern boarder between Spain and Portugal. During most of their lives they eat ONLY acorns. Their diet and exercise has a huge impact on the flavor of the meat (it tastes very nutty and savory). The meat is cured for 36 months.

There are two other types of jamón ibérico, and the differences depend on the diet of the pigs. Jamón ibérico de recebo is ham from pigs that are fed a combination of acorns and grains. Jamón ibérico de pienso are fed only grains. They are all pastured and live pretty happy lives.

When describing his meal at the café in Paris, my boyfriend literally got wistful and started watering at the mouth. He described the savory, smooth taste of the highest quality ham in the world with such intense passion, and described the meal in Paris as one of the best he has ever had. Then two weeks ago we went to a gourmet grocer in Woollahra (Jones the Grocer, 68 Moncur Street) and he was thrilled to discover they sold his beloved ham! We went back yesterday for more.

And get this: until July 2008 the bellota ham was illegal in the States. Starting in 2007 other varieties of jamón ibérico became available in the US, but under strict regulations. The same goes for Australia, where the ham became legal in 2007. The price STARTS at close to $60 a pound and exceeds $100 for some varieties. I believe there are only two producers of this ham in the world..

I think my boyfriend finds something very romantic about the pastured pigs eating acorns all day. For him, the beauty of this ham is not simply the delicious flavor of the cured meat, but the idea that it is expensive, hard to find, and produced with such artistry.

I have to say the ham is delicious. But I can’t say it affects me the same way it affects him. Each bite makes him euphoric. At least now I know what to feed him if I ever need to cheer him up.