A Guide to Spanish Cured Meats

Photo: Maxime Iattoni

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JAMON IBÉRICO DE BELLOTA

Rare, expensive, and extraordinary, this ham made from the hocks of pata negra pigs has only recently become available in the United States. (Legally, that is — for many travelers to Spain, smuggling jamon ibérico home through customs was an essential part of the trip.) The robust, funky meat — streaked with sweet, nutty fat — gets its characteristic flavor from a combination of the pigs' all-acorn diet, and their moderately active life roaming free-range through oak forests on the Spain-Portugal border.

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