IberGour's Blog UK https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog Pata Negra Ham: information, trivia, opinions, events... Sat, 16 Aug 2025 21:38:37 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/10/cropped-jamon_ibergour_wordpress_icono-32x32.gif IberGour's Blog UK https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog 32 32 11 reasons for the Price difference in Bellota hams https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/reasons-for-price-differences-in-bellota-hams/ https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/reasons-for-price-differences-in-bellota-hams/#respond Sat, 16 Aug 2025 21:38:37 +0000 https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/?p=1 We can find Iberian jamón de bellota for less than €40/kg and for more than €400/kg. It’s a huge difference which is not justified solely by the quality of the final product, but a combination of different factors.

1. Breed

Better quality Pata Negra hams come from 100% Iberian pigs, which cost to raise is significantly higher than cross-breeds. They … read the rest

The post 11 reasons for the Price difference in Bellota hams first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> We can find Iberian jamón de bellota for less than €40/kg and for more than €400/kg. It’s a huge difference which is not justified solely by the quality of the final product, but a combination of different factors.

1. Breed

Better quality Pata Negra hams come from 100% Iberian pigs, which cost to raise is significantly higher than cross-breeds. They … read the rest

The post 11 reasons for the Price difference in Bellota hams first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/reasons-for-price-differences-in-bellota-hams/feed/ 0 The additives in Pata Negra ham https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/pata-negra-ham-additives/ https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/pata-negra-ham-additives/#respond Fri, 18 Jul 2025 07:36:16 +0000 https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/?p=78 Until recently, what worried consumers most was the salt content of cured ham. WHO (World Health Organisation) recommends consuming a maximum of 5 grams per day (even less in children and adolescents) to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, although the world average of between 9 and 12g is more than double.

These days it seems that other additives used … read the rest

The post The additives in Pata Negra ham first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> Until recently, what worried consumers most was the salt content of cured ham. WHO (World Health Organisation) recommends consuming a maximum of 5 grams per day (even less in children and adolescents) to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, although the world average of between 9 and 12g is more than double.

These days it seems that other additives used … read the rest

The post The additives in Pata Negra ham first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/pata-negra-ham-additives/feed/ 0 How to choose a ham holder for a Jamon Pata Negra https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/ham-holders-for-jamon-pata-negra/ https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/ham-holders-for-jamon-pata-negra/#respond Thu, 19 Jun 2025 13:31:51 +0000 https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/?p=18 The other day my friend Isabel told me that at home only her sister cuts the Pata Negra. Not her father or her mother or her grandfather… only her sister was brave enough to face the pig’s leg. They aren’t actually afraid of the knife, but the reproaches they’d receive from other diners: it’s sliced too thick, too thin, don’t … read the rest

The post How to choose a ham holder for a Jamon Pata Negra first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> The other day my friend Isabel told me that at home only her sister cuts the Pata Negra. Not her father or her mother or her grandfather… only her sister was brave enough to face the pig’s leg. They aren’t actually afraid of the knife, but the reproaches they’d receive from other diners: it’s sliced too thick, too thin, don’t … read the rest

The post How to choose a ham holder for a Jamon Pata Negra first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/ham-holders-for-jamon-pata-negra/feed/ 0 What does Reserva mean when talking about ham? https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/what-does-reserva-mean-when-talking-about-ham/ https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/what-does-reserva-mean-when-talking-about-ham/#respond Sun, 20 Apr 2025 18:19:51 +0000 https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/?p=85 The term Reserva has two meanings when it comes to ham, either pata negra or serrano. The main and most common meaning is that it has a long maturation in the cellar (bodega). Royal Decree 474/2014 regulates the use of this term, but it’s not really quality assurance (as formerly went under the name Pata Negra a few … read the rest

The post What does Reserva mean when talking about ham? first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> The term Reserva has two meanings when it comes to ham, either pata negra or serrano. The main and most common meaning is that it has a long maturation in the cellar (bodega). Royal Decree 474/2014 regulates the use of this term, but it’s not really quality assurance (as formerly went under the name Pata Negra a few … read the rest

The post What does Reserva mean when talking about ham? first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/what-does-reserva-mean-when-talking-about-ham/feed/ 0 Why doesn’t a good Pata Negra ham taste salty? https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/good-pata-negra-hams-do-not-taste-salty/ https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/good-pata-negra-hams-do-not-taste-salty/#respond Sun, 23 Mar 2025 05:16:15 +0000 https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/?p=12 Pata negra ham slices on plateIf you are asked which is saltier, a slice of Iberian jamón de bellota or a crisp? The answer will almost always be the crisp. Moreover, if I ask you to first try a sample of each, the answer wouldn’t change.

The reality is very different: a bag of crisps typically contains 1.5g of salt per 100g of potatoes, … read the rest

The post Why doesn’t a good Pata Negra ham taste salty? first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> Pata negra ham slices on plateIf you are asked which is saltier, a slice of Iberian jamón de bellota or a crisp? The answer will almost always be the crisp. Moreover, if I ask you to first try a sample of each, the answer wouldn’t change.

The reality is very different: a bag of crisps typically contains 1.5g of salt per 100g of potatoes, … read the rest

The post Why doesn’t a good Pata Negra ham taste salty? first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/good-pata-negra-hams-do-not-taste-salty/feed/ 0 Yield of a Pata Negra ham: is there too much fat? https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/yield-of-a-pata-negra-ham-is-there-too-much-fat/ https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/yield-of-a-pata-negra-ham-is-there-too-much-fat/#respond Fri, 24 Jan 2025 22:34:30 +0000 https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/?p=98 You start cutting into a Pata Negra ham and all you seem to get is fat and more fat. You look at the plate and calculate that there’s already about a kilo there… £50 or £60 destined straight for the bin. It’s not a good start.

Order in which to cut a ham and excess fat

At last, the first streaks of meat appear. Their glossy shine gets your saliva … read the rest

The post Yield of a Pata Negra ham: is there too much fat? first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> You start cutting into a Pata Negra ham and all you seem to get is fat and more fat. You look at the plate and calculate that there’s already about a kilo there… £50 or £60 destined straight for the bin. It’s not a good start.

Order in which to cut a ham and excess fat

At last, the first streaks of meat appear. Their glossy shine gets your saliva … read the rest

The post Yield of a Pata Negra ham: is there too much fat? first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/yield-of-a-pata-negra-ham-is-there-too-much-fat/feed/ 0 Swineherds of Iberian pig https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/swineherds-of-iberian-pata-negra-pig/ https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/swineherds-of-iberian-pata-negra-pig/#respond Fri, 27 Dec 2024 19:28:05 +0000 https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/?p=115 Although traditionally pigs have always been reared in pens of a few square metres, zones with an abundance of acorns have also been very common grazing areas for pigs in the fall, coinciding with the falling of the fruit of the oak.

It was an inexpensive way to fatten the animals. There were thousands of hectares of pastures in Extremadura… read the rest

The post Swineherds of Iberian pig first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> Although traditionally pigs have always been reared in pens of a few square metres, zones with an abundance of acorns have also been very common grazing areas for pigs in the fall, coinciding with the falling of the fruit of the oak.

It was an inexpensive way to fatten the animals. There were thousands of hectares of pastures in Extremadura… read the rest

The post Swineherds of Iberian pig first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/swineherds-of-iberian-pata-negra-pig/feed/ 0 Is Bellota ham produced outside of the Iberian peninsula? https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/bellota-ham-produced-outside-spain/ https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/bellota-ham-produced-outside-spain/#respond Fri, 29 Nov 2024 04:20:25 +0000 https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/?p=34 In practice we can see that jamón de bellota is only produced in Spain and Portugal, but this has not always been the case and perhaps it won’t be in the future either.

Pigs are eating acorns in the forests bordering the Mediterranean Sea long before it was domesticated by humans. The oaks in drier region and the cork … read the rest

The post Is Bellota ham produced outside of the Iberian peninsula? first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> In practice we can see that jamón de bellota is only produced in Spain and Portugal, but this has not always been the case and perhaps it won’t be in the future either.

Pigs are eating acorns in the forests bordering the Mediterranean Sea long before it was domesticated by humans. The oaks in drier region and the cork … read the rest

The post Is Bellota ham produced outside of the Iberian peninsula? first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/bellota-ham-produced-outside-spain/feed/ 0 Ham and Hypertension: 6 Tricks to Not Have to Say Goodbye to Pata Negra Ham https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/hypertension-tricks-to-not-have-to-say-goodbye-to-pata-negra-ham/ https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/hypertension-tricks-to-not-have-to-say-goodbye-to-pata-negra-ham/#respond Wed, 30 Oct 2024 07:53:14 +0000 https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/?p=103 The first result you get when you ask Google how to prevent high blood pressure is “To help manage your blood pressure, you should limit the amount of sodium (salt) that you eat”. Does this mean that we have to cut out ham from our diet once we reach a certain age? The answer depends on the individual (or … read the rest

The post Ham and Hypertension: 6 Tricks to Not Have to Say Goodbye to Pata Negra Ham first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> The first result you get when you ask Google how to prevent high blood pressure is “To help manage your blood pressure, you should limit the amount of sodium (salt) that you eat”. Does this mean that we have to cut out ham from our diet once we reach a certain age? The answer depends on the individual (or … read the rest

The post Ham and Hypertension: 6 Tricks to Not Have to Say Goodbye to Pata Negra Ham first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/hypertension-tricks-to-not-have-to-say-goodbye-to-pata-negra-ham/feed/ 0 6 Reasons that Pata Negra Jamón de Bellota Increases the Appetite https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/pata-negra-jamon-to-increase-appetite/ https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/pata-negra-jamon-to-increase-appetite/#comments Tue, 01 Oct 2024 19:15:08 +0000 https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/?p=22 Pata negra ham slices

It is unusual for a customer to explain why they buy jamón de bellota. We mostly assume it is simply because Pata Negra is great. But there are several customers who have told us that they buy ham because of how little they feel hungry and it helps them to boost their appetite.

For most of us gluttony is a … read the rest

The post 6 Reasons that Pata Negra Jamón de Bellota Increases the Appetite first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> Pata negra ham slices

It is unusual for a customer to explain why they buy jamón de bellota. We mostly assume it is simply because Pata Negra is great. But there are several customers who have told us that they buy ham because of how little they feel hungry and it helps them to boost their appetite.

For most of us gluttony is a … read the rest

The post 6 Reasons that Pata Negra Jamón de Bellota Increases the Appetite first appeared on IberGour's Blog UK.]]> https://www.ibergour.co.uk/en/blog/pata-negra-jamon-to-increase-appetite/feed/ 1