The Protected Designation of Origin certifies the quality of the hams from Iberian pigs that comply with the regulations of the Regulatory Council relevant for PDO labeling.
The Iberico Ham PDO Guijuelo is protected by the Protected Designation of Origin Jamón de Guijuelo. This means that the Denomination of Origin guarantees that the product comes from a specific region, specifically in a group of seventy-eight (78) municipal districts located in the southeast of Salamanca in the heart of Salamanca, at the confluence of the Béjar and Sierra mountains. France. This ham, or this Iberico pork shoulder, will have very specific physical and organic characteristics, which are the result of having produced the ham in that specific region. Do you know what those characteristics are?
Characteristics of Guijuelo PDO Spanish Hams.
In their physical form, both Iberico hams and shoulders from Guijuelo, are of an elongated shape with colors that can vary between pink, bluish-gray or purple, which is nothing more than an external skin formed by a covering of fungal flora.
The cut of the Iberico ham can be noticed from pink to purple with a shiny appearance. It has streaks of fat infiltrated into the muscle mass of the ham, characteristic of Iberian pigs.
The consistency of the ham is firm in the muscular part, and it has fat parts of an unctuous consistency in a slight way. This tissue is also called adipose tissue.
The unctuousness of the fat of the ham varies according to the feeding of the pig during its fattening process and depending on its diet, a white-yellowish fat with a very good flavor can be seen.
The weight and size of the ham will depend on the weight of the pig, generally ranging from 6.5 kg, as minimum, according to regulations, in case it is acorn-fed Iberian ham and 7 kg for Iberian cebo campo; and if it is a shoulder, at least 3.7 kg for acorn-fed Iberian pork shoulders and from 4 kg for Iberico cebo campo pork shoulders.
Guijuelo ham meat is characterized by being sweeter or slightly salty, delicate and with a pleasant aroma.
Geographical location of Guijuelo hams.
Salamanca is a province in western Spain, on the border with Portugal. It is a municipality widely known, both in the country itself and internationally for the tradition and quality of its meat products, among which, of course, the Iberian hams with PDO stand out, although a large number of municipalities of the region of the Salamanca meadow, not only the town of Guijuelo.
The mountainous relief, with an average height of 1,010 m above sea level, provides a cold and dry climate, and the appropriate pastures for obtaining the excellent Spanish cured hams and shoulders of Iberian pigs.
Requirements of the Protected Designation of Origin.
There are requirements to obtain PDO from the Regulatory Council of the Protected Denomination of Origin of Guijuelo. Among them it can be mentioned that the meadows, formed by Mediterranean forests with cork and holm oak trees, which produce acorn, must always be in the production areas.
According to the current legal regulations, slaughterhouses must be located in the production area. The authorized crosses must be at least 75% of the Iberian breed. This will allow obtaining the PDO for the product, whether it is acorn-fed ham, from pigs fed with fruits and wild grasses, or from the also appreciated Iberian cebo hams.
This means that it is important to remember that hams and shoulders with Protected Designation of Origin indicate, according to the color of the bridle, the purity of the ibérico pig's breed and the type of feed it received. The PDO additionally guarantees that the entire process took place in a specific geographical area.
Buy jamon iberico made in Guijuelo.
To buy Iberian ham from the Salamanca pasture, Jamón Pasión offers you a wide variety of products, among which is one of the best known internationally. Neither more nor less than the Arturo Sánchez 100% Iberico Pata Negra Acorn Ham which is characterized by its long curing, more than the rest of the products and by its double montanera, since its pigs go through two fattening seasons using acorns.
In addition to Guijuelo hams, you also have pieces from the most recognized brands and the denominations of origin that you prefer with guarantees of quality, natural and traditional.
You can choose and buy Iberico hams at the best price, without preservatives or additives.