Spanish Ham from Los Pedroches
Spanish Ham from Los Pedroches at IberGour
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Thirty-two towns in Los Pedroches Valley are covered by this new Designation of Origin. The valley takes its name from the town of Pedroche, the oldest in the area.
The offices of the Los Pedroches PDO Regulatory Board are in Villanueva de Córdoba. Its bylaws were approved in early 2006 and it now counts 150 breeders and 17 processing plants.
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Production and processing areas
Pigs for hams covered by this PDO are reared and fattened in woodlands populated by holm oaks, cork oaks and gall oaks in the municipalities of Alcaracejos, Añora, Belalcázar, Bélmez, Los Blázquez, Cardeña, Conquista, Dos Torres, Espiel, Fuente La Lancha, Fuente Obejuna, La Granjuela, El Guijo, Hinojosa del Duque, Pedroche, Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, Pozoblanco, Santa Eufemia, Torrecampo, Valsequillo, Villanueva de Córdoba, Villanueva del Duque, Villanueva del Rey, Villaralto and El Viso, and at altitudes above 300 metres in the municipalities of Adamuz, Hornachuelos, Montoro, Obejo, Posadas, Villaharta and Villaviciosa.
Pig breeds suitable for Los Pedroches ham
Breeds admitted by this PDO are the Iberian purebred or crosses of Iberian with Duroc-Jersey, as long as they come from purebred Iberian mothers and are at least 75% Iberian stock. However, the Regulatory Board promotes the development of farms for breeding and rearing purebred Iberian pigs.
Characteristics of Los Pedroches Designation of Origin
There are three grades of hams according to the pigs' diet before slaughter:
- Bellota-grade, or range-finished pigs
- Pigs starting the fattening period weighing between 80.5 and 115 kg, not less than 10 months old and gaining at least 51.75 kg (approximately 50% of entry weight) on a diet of grasses and acorns. These pigs must be butchered before 31 March or, in exceptional circumstances, 30 April. They are identified by an unbreakable black seal indicating "Bellota Los Pedroches".
- Recebo-grade pigs
- Pigs starting the fattening period weighing between 80.5 and 115 kg, not less than 10 months old and gaining at least 28.75 kg (approximately 30% of entry weight). The fattening period ends with a diet that is almost exclusively grasses, natural fodder and authorised compound feed until the animal adds approximately another 30% of its entry weight. These pigs must be butchered before 30 May and are identified by an unbreakable red seal indicating "Los Pedroches".
- Cebo-grade pigs
- Pigs with an entry weight between 80.5 and 115 kg fattened on the open range with a diet of grasses, natural fodder and compound feed authorised by the Regulatory Board, consisting of cereals, legumes and oilseeds. The distance between watering places and feeders is at least 100 metres to make sure the animals get enough exercise, and no more than 12 pigs are allowed per hectare. The cuts are identified by an unbreakable yellow seal indicating "Los Pedroches".
Hams and shoulder cuts covered by the PDO are processed in the following stages: salting (3-10 days), rinsing, settling or salt balancing (1-3 months), drying (6 months) and ageing in the cellar (minimum 12-18 months).
The natural drying process takes place in drying rooms on the upper floors of the production buildings, and the cuts are aged in cellars on the ground floors. Artificial changes in temperature and humidity are not allowed.
The minimum processing time for cuts as stipulated by the Regulatory Board depends on weight and grade. It must be over 18 months for hams and over 12 months for shoulders.
Hams from Los Pedroches
- Outer aspect: Long and slender with the typical V shape known as the Serrano cut. The hoof is intact.
- Weight: Not less than 6 kg for hams or 4 kg for shoulder cuts
- Colouring and appearance on cutting: Characteristic colour from rosy to purplish-red with marbling fat throughout the flesh.
- Flavour and aroma: Very slightly salty or sweet. Pleasant characteristic aroma.
- Texture: Smooth and tender.
- Fat: The fat is glossy and white with pinkish or yellowish tinges. Aromatic, with a pleasing taste. The consistency varies according to the proportion of acorns in the diet.
Production figures
The first year's production of Los Pedroches Designation of Origin totalled 17,532 hams and shoulder cuts, which went on sale in late 2006.
The expected production for 2007 is 23,500 cuts, 35% more than the year before. Three out of four come from purebred Iberian pigs, and one out of four from cross-breeds.
See also
Ibérico de Bellota Ham in Spain
- Spanish Ham from Jabugo
- Spanish Ham from Extremadura
- Spanish Ham from Guijuelo
- Spanish Ham from Huelva
- » Spanish Ham from Los Pedroches
