Cerdo Salado

It's matanza time. There is an air of excitement throughout the village. The knives are being sharpened, the garlic and onions peeled. It's going to be feast and fiesta for the next three weeks. Didn't we just finish three weeks of feast and fiesta? Oh, I almost forgot, I'm in Spain. It's 52 weeks of feast and fiesta. Tummy's grumbling, must away.......

Factoid: The first stage in the jamon curing process is when and the hams are packed in piles of salt to help dry and preserve them. The length of this salting process depends on temperature and the weight of the ham but is usually around one to two weeks. The minimum amount of salt is used because a Serrano ham that is over-salted becomes heavy and tough over time. The salt is then cleaned off and the hams are hung up to dry, for between one to two months, at a temperature of between 5ºC to 10ºC and a high humidity of 75% - 80%. This period is called 'asentamiento' and concentrates the flavour by drying out the moisture and infusing the ham with the remaining salt. Next comes the real curing process which turns the white fat to yellow, transforms the meat into its deep ruby colour, and gives Serrano ham its characteristic aroma. This lasts between six to twelve months with the meat adapting to the temperature and humidity of spring and summer. After the first month or so of this, the hams are covered with a blue-grey mould. It does not look very appetising but this is what gives it its aroma because in the summer, as the hams sweat off the fat, the odour of the mould infuses into the meat. During the last month or so of the curing period the hams will go through 'maduracion'. This is when the temperature and humidity is dramatically increased to spread the fats throughout the ham and increase the flavour. After this carefully controlled process the hams will have lost 20% to 40% of their weight and will be considered ready to enjoy.