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To the left are five slices of the jamón ibérico de bellota. They weighed 88 grams and cost a shocking $41.80.To the right are five much larger slices of San Daniele ham from Italy weighing 142 grams and costing $17.04.One sunny afternoon, before I joined Febfast, we sat on the front veranda surveying the 4 sq m of garden that I cultivate while quaffing a crisp white wine and sharing pieces over the fence with my enterprising neighbours.We were split down the middle as to which was best.The jamon was thought to have too strong a flavour by two of us. Personally I was disappointed with the texture of the ham at the edges, tough slices that could have been carved off an old belt. It would be more appropriate to cook with rather than eat unadorned. The Jamon allegedly gets its flavour from feeding on acorns. I doubt this. I find it difficult to believe that the flavour of flesh can be influenced by what one eats. I would imagine, and I can find no science to back this up, that the flavour is created by the bacteria that effect the chemical processes and change the nature of a leg of pork into the ham (similarly, minerality in soil doesn’t create minerality in wines. It’s the yeasts that ferment it that do).In presentation the San Daniele is much better, pinker in colour and softer in texture - as well as flavour.Both hams are good, very good. Personally to eat with melon, figs, in a sandwich or alone the San Daniele wins hands down, especially when price is taken into account.The Jamon tastes good, very good and is best in small doses for more reasons than the price alone.Food fascist- try the Serrano- taste test Audtralian-made proscuitto
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I think what an animal eats does influence its flavour. Not sure about the acorns and the pig, but have you ever compared crocodile that has been fed chickens and crocodile that has been fed fish? It is quite remarkable that the crocodile really does taste like whatever it has been fed. I think what humans eat can affect the way they smell (not just breath) so I do think there is a possibility that feed affects flavour.
I would have loved to compare these two though. With jamon iberico, what i liked about it the one time I tried it was that the fat seemed to have a lower melting point than most fat and so at room temperature was soft and almost melting. Maybe acorn fed pigs develop different types of fat? Just guessing.
Ed,can I ask where you purchased these from… I got some from Johnson Street at around the $400 mark but it was sensational… the outer fatty rind was the texture of butter and melted in the mouth without any chewing, certainly not capable of doing anything with any belt!!! V x
From the journal of Meat Science (yes! it really exists.)
San Daniele for mine (for some obvious reasons) Ed. But the most important reason is that San Daniele is about a tenth of the price.
Nice work
Ran, As I wrote this I did have the memory of swan tasting more fishy than goosewhich I guess must be a similar thing. I suppose smells do pass to humans so I guess I stand corrected. The fat on the Iberico does seem to melt at a lower temperature than the proscuitto but i can live with the Italian ham quite easily based on the price difference. Apparently the fat in the pigs is like the fat in Wagyu and is high in Omega 3s. Good New York Times story here on Ibericos: http://tinyurl.com/3der3v
Vida, i bought mine at Delicatess at Prahran Market which does tend to be on the expensive side. It wasn’t the fatty rind that was belt texture but some of the actual outer meat which I’m guessing dried out whichis poor show for the price. Perhaps I should reserve it for a trip up north.
Phil, thanks for teaching me to do more research and not pontificate on things I no nothing about.
Steve, price is a big factor. But can the san D stand up against the local stuff?
True you are what you eat, those travelling in close quarters on Japanese trains can attest, fish being the dominant smell.
This whole Jamon Iberico thing has got me scratching my head though. A fine meat purveyor here visited the said processing plant & was surprised at how the whole show is quite mechanized, not quite the bucolic pig frollicking seen on the box. makes me go hmmm….
Sorry to hear you a dodgy lot of Jamon. Just few coments: $475 is way too much. Casa Iberica sell excellent Jamon iberico for half that and they are making good money on it plus its always fresh (its the same stuff that Movida sells). They also sell the end piece for $100 a kilo, which is a bargain in my book.
The stuff you bought sounds a bit old, and maybe presliced? It should be sliced and eaten on the same day where possible. Its disappointing that such a great (and expensive) food is often sold in less than good condition.
Gobbler, often wondered if we are being taken for fools with some of this stuff, espcially the prices charged.
Dave, are you sure the stuff is jamón ibérico de bellota at half the price? There are a couple of different ones out there. The ham was sliced the day I ate it but the end bits, an adjoining muscle where tougher and not as soft as the rest. It is really annoying buying something like this at a stall that is highly regarded and getting a less than satisfactory product. i may mention it to them next time I’m there. In the meantime, its ‘tup north.
Ed: Yep, same supplier as Delicatess according to the signs, who only do de bellota. Its not the organic stuff tho. I do buy in volume, so maybe I get a discount. From memory, its a similar price at Jonathan’s. It is annoying tho, I’ve had some not so good stuff around town as well.
the-gobbler: there are over 100 producers of jamon iberico. ’said processing plant’ could be anything from a small artisan maker or some huge multi-national. Anyway, its all about the free range, acorn eating black pigs when they’re alive, the processing is like any meat plant. If you want the stuff made by some bloke in his attic, you’ll have to go to Spain: they don’t bother doing any testing so they’ll never meet our heath standards.
I’ve always wanted to do this - compare really expensive smoked jamon. Good on you! It was a joy to read.
We had some Joselito Iberico ham last year and it was the best ham I’ve ever eaten. We later tried some lesser ham from Delicatess, which was also very good, but not as fine as the Joselito. I remember at the time of the Delicatess ham thinking how good it was, as unlike some proscuitto, it was tender right through to the fat, no hard bits at all. It was sliced to order.
Just to add, last night we had some San Nicola proscuitto de parma at $90kg, sliced to order from Balaclava Fresh Centre, 316 Carlisle Street, St Kilda. It was soft and tender right through and terrific flavour. They are worth checking out for their range of salamis alone and they also stock some pretty good cheeses.
Neil, I’ve just returned from the Cheese shop at Prahran with some Parma at $79.95 and some much cheapr Aussie product for comparison. I think my jamon was from the end of the cut. 90 per cent was good but the tough bits were annoying.
I tried some delectable serrano from jonathan’s on smith st - as i recall around $20 for four thin slices. It was delicious and the fat was meltingly soft compared to your standard prosciutto, but I don’t think I’ll be spending so much again . . . The Australian jamon at Casa Iberica is only $50/kg and is delectable.