Trevélez is a town in the province of Granada located in the Alpujarra Granadina, in the heart of the Sierra Nevada National Park and rises around 1,500 m high. You can now get an idea of the quality of the air and the climate for the natural curing of sausages and hams. But we are going to focus on its star product, Jamón de Trevélez, protected by the regulatory council who grants them the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) guarantee and quality seal, under strict controls and requirements that must be met in order to obtain said Denomination. Protected and extending to a geographical area beyond the municipality itself.
Next we are going to go into a little more detail to tell you what makes it so special; how it came to be awarded by Isabel II of Spain and why it is one of our best-selling products in the Jamón Pasión store.
Buy 100% Natural Serrano Ham without additives.
The most characteristic of Serrano Ham from the Alpujarra de Granada is that during its entire process no additive, preservative or artificial processes are used or added to accelerate maturation. Its only ingredients are ham and salt, and in the drying process only the manual opening and closing of the windows is used to regulate the entry of air and humidity in an artisanal way.
The Ham recognized by the Jamón de Trevélez Protected Geographical Indication meets a series of requirements that differentiate it from other hams. It is a product made in a traditional way in a defined geographical environment that gives it the characteristics and qualities that make it unique.
The production area includes geographical locations with an altitude of more than 1,200 meters and includes the following municipalities: Trevélez, Juviles, Busquistar, Pórtugos, La Tahá, Bubión, Capileira and Bérchules. This production area is located on the southern face of Sierra Nevada, in the upper part of the Alpujarra and within the Sierra Nevada Natural Park.
Quality requirements for the Trevélez Spanish Ham.
The pig breeds used for the production of these legs must be Landrace, Large-White and Duroc-Jersey.
The Regulatory Council also determines the minimum amount of bacon with infiltrated fat in cm that the piece must have at least, as well as the pH, the weight of the fresh limbs and the percentage of natural salt, which is equal to or less than 5%.
A lot more parameters are taken into account (but it would be a bit boring and very technical) to guarantee the great quality in the whole process, from the pigs, the pieces not yet cured, the salting process, drying and curing time. And all this, always in a natural and artisan way, without accelerating the processes or using anything artificial.
How to recognize an authentic Trevélez Ham.
Some savvy ones advertise as Jamón de Trevélez hams that are not, alluding to this quality guarantee simply because they have been made in the same area, but, obviously, without the same requirements or guarantees.
Nothing like an image so that, at a glance, you can see what the authentic Jamón de Trevélez label looks like.
The Three Guarantee Labels.
When buying a Trevélez ham, keep in mind that the color of the label will be different depending on the curing time of the piece, and the curing time, in turn, is determined by the fresh weight of the patte.
-Blue Label Trevélez Ham: minimum 17 months of ripening. These are the smallest ones with a final weight comprised between 7 and 8 kg.
-Red Label Trevélez Ham: minimum 20 months of ripening. Intermedial weights between 8-9 kg.
-Black Label Trevélez Ham: minimum 23 months of ripening. The biggest ones, between 8.5 and 10 kg.
A Serrano Ham of Kings and Emperors.
Trevélez ham has been appreciated and recognized internationally for hundreds of years by artists, generals, emperors and even kings. In fact, and now I will put an image for you so you can see it better, the oval seal inside the label on the T of Trevélez, is nothing more and nothing less than the shield of the crown of Spain with the following legend: Awarded by Y.M the Queen of Spain Isabel II in 1862, who awarded this award on October 10 of that year when an exhibition was held in Granada where the highest quality products of the province were displayed.
The Jamón de Trevélez is recognized as a unique product linked to the Alpujarra for more than 200 years, endorsed by numerous bibliographic references from the 19th century and renowned writers of the time.
Illustrious people
The Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini, born in 1792 in Pesaro, Italy, was a great lover of Spanish gastronomy and connoisseur of Trevélez ham. There is an anecdote that Carlos Azcoytia Luque tells in his article "Biography of the gourmet and composer Gioacchino Rossini", which occurred at Rossini's house in Paris, during a visit by the Spanish composer Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, born in Madrid in 1823. Rossini told him about his collection of violins, among which there were some Spaniards, to the surprise and the question where they were from, Rossini answered that it was from Trevélez and when he showed him the collection it turned out that the violins were hams.
Eugenia de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III and Empress consort of France, knew and consumed Trevélez Serrano ham and introduced it on court menus.
Federico García Lorca, Cervantes, Gregorio Marañón, Ángel Gavinet among others, make reference to and praise the Jamón de Trevélez in some of their literary works.
Where to Buy Trevélez Ham.
Obviously if you are traveling through Granada, it will not be difficult for you to find a store where you can buy one, but outside the province, as it is a high quality Serrano ham, you will only find it in Gourmet or specialized stores.
In our online store jamonpasion.com, you will not only find the whole range of hams (the 3 labels) but you will also be able to buy the hams at the best price, since we work directly with the producer and we send them from the same Sierra Nevada.
See you soon! See you on the blog, the store or Facebook.