The Jabugo Ham

Jabugo is a province of Huelva (Andalusia, Spain), this province is known for having a really long history as Iberico Ham producers.

The noun Jabugo creates a huge controversy in the Ham business because most people use it wrong, a lot of people even in Spain enter a Ham store asking for Jabugo ham and what they  really mean is that are looking for is Iberico ham.

The noun Jabugo has been associated to a particular Quality (Iberico), this fact is due among other reasons to the strong advertising campaigns done by some producers in this region, such as Sánchez Romero Carvajal which associated the brand Jabugo to the highest quality and Iberian Purity.
In fact, many people don’t even know exactly what they are acquiring when it comes to Iberico Ham, the current regulating rules for this issue are not working properly and there is great confusion regarding this topic.

Returning to the Jabugo topic, we have to know there is no such Designation of Origin. For now all Ham produced in the jabugo province has the Designation of Origin Jamón de Huelva.

The Designation of Origin Jamón de Huelva can be only used if the Ham / Schoulder comes from pigs that graze and forage in The Dehesa Woodland eating acorns and grasses during the Montanera, and this Woodland has to belong to any of  the 31 municipalities (including Jabugo) belonging to the provinces of Huelva, Cáceres, Sevilla, Córdoba, Badajoz, Málaga and Cádiz.

Furthermore all Hams and Shoulders with Denomination of Origin Jamón de Huelva have to follow a traditional curing process which can takes up to 30 months for Hams and 20 for shoulders, although larger pieces may take longer.

These Hams and Shoulders are characterized by an unmatched flavour and aroma that is obtained thanks to a totally unique climatic conditions found in the region of the Sierra de Huelva. Moreover all this pigs have been certified as Iberian pigs which ensure a proper quality.  As result of all this dedication and hard work we obtain a unique Ham. See Iberico Ham from Extremadura.
Iberian ham is one of the most important gastronomic treasures from Spain, and for this reason it is really important to ensure the conservation of the Iberian race and all the customs and traditions that come with it.

The Regulatory Council of ham has implemented a series of Protected Designations of Origin in order to ensure the traditional elaboration process of Iberian Ham.
Furthermore the usage of some of the commercial names in the market have been regularized with specific requirements, the regulation of this items has been conducted in order to help consumers.

We have also specified the requirements to use a variety of product names that were not before.
The regulation of these terms of sale has been conducted in order to help consumers easily identify the quality of this precious food. Know more about Jabugo Ham and DO Jabugo (Huelva) here.