One of the many associations with the beautiful country of Spain is the local jamon delicacy. This is perhaps the most favorite meat dish not only of indigenous people, but also of many tourists who come from different countries.
About the history of occurrence, varieties, main differences, methods of cutting and how the knife for jamon is called, - further in the article.
Types of Jamon
Jamon - the legendary Spanish delicacy of national scale, is a dried pork ham.
There are two main types of jamon:
- Serrano (from Spanish - "mountain").
- Iberico (from Spanish - “black leg”).
Jamon Iberico is considered more expensive than Serrano. The main characteristic that separates the two types of jamon is the method of preparation and the exposure time. An important difference between Serrano and Iberico is the breed of the pig. In order for pork ham to be used for jamon, a pig must be raised on a special diet.
A distinctive feature of hamran serrano is a white hoof (white pig). According to the degree of exposure, there are:
- kurado - can withstand 6 months;
- reserve - can withstand 9 months;
- bodega - withstand 1 year.
A distinctive feature of Iberico ham is a black hoof (black pig). The following types of pigs are used :
- De cebo - made from pigs that feed on acorns and fodder.
- Bellota - made from pigs that feed only on acorns.
Jamon is made only from the hind legs of a pig.
History of jamon
The first version says that the meat was very salted so that it did not deteriorate, that is, salt was used as a preservative. Sometimes in a poor family there was nothing to eat except this salted meat. According to the second version, the Spaniards ate salt pork when they caught an animal from the river. The source of the river was salty, so the sinking piglet was all saturated with salt.
This delicacy adorned the tables of warriors, Roman emperors and legionnaires. It is striking that to this day the recipes recorded in those days have been saved, they are used now, practically without making amendments and changes.
How to chop jamon?
Separating meat from ham with a regular knife is just barbarism. Culinary experts unanimously reiterate that its taste and physical properties depend on slicing jamon, so slicing must take place manually, and not mechanically, and using a jamon knife.
It is necessary to use a stand specially designed for this - a hamoner. They make it wooden, up to 50 cm long and up to 20 wide (depending on the size of the ham). A pork ham is attached to the sharp screw from the side of the hoof, and another part of the ham is mounted on the wide part of the hamoners. Thanks to the screw mount, you can rotate the pig leg and work with a jamon knife, which is very convenient.
It is considered correct to cut the meat parallel to the bone. In order not to cause injuries on the ham, it is necessary to secure it qualitatively - to prevent slipping on the stand. When cutting meat, it is important to monitor the hands - with the right hand you need to cut the meat with a special knife for jamon, and the left hand should be on top (for the left-hander, vice versa). The Spaniards consider the proper art of slicing jamon as a real art and specifically learn this skill.
How to use a jamon knife?
First of all, you need to acquire the necessary tool for slicing jamon, namely: three knives and sharpeners for them, because the sharpness of the knife depends on how thin the slices of jamon will be.
It is believed that the thinner the slice, the tastier the jamon. It should be as thin as a piece of paper. This allows you to enjoy the unique taste, the creation of which a lot of people have worked for a long time.
When choosing a knife for slicing jamon, it is important to know the purpose of each. The first knife - with a wide blade - serves to cut off the skin and unnecessary fat, so it is desirable that the blade is also flat.
The second - for cutting transparent strips of meat (hamonero) - must have a long and thin blade.
The third jamon knife is short, small in size - for cutting meat from bones.
Many professional chefs use a special metal glove - put it on a non-working hand so as not to get hurt. One of the safety rules when cutting jamon is to keep a non-working hand always higher than the working one, as the slicing knife is incredibly sharp.