Should I pay attention to the weight when buying an Iberian ham? Which one is ideal for your home? These are some of the questions we ask ourselves before making a purchase or not… if you have not stopped to think about them, perhaps you should, since they are closely related to the quality of this delicacy of our national gastronomy.
QUALITY STANDARDS FOR IBERIAN HAM
In Spain, Royal Decree 14/2014 contemplates certain rules for an improvement of information for the consumer in reference to quality, labeling, presentation and, in short, everything related to the control of this type of Iberian products, among which are Iberian ham, Iberian shoulder and loin.
Thus, Article 12 of the Royal Decree establishes the rules that also refer to the weight of the pieces of Iberian ham, which, once labeled, must comply with a certain minimum weight and days of curing to guarantee their quality. Depending on the breed or “purity” of the Iberian pig, the minimum weights should be as follows:
100% Iberian Ham – min. 5,75 Kg
Ham 75% Iberian – min. 7 Kg
Ham 50% Iberian – min. 7 Kg
Although we have not yet considered the regulations governing the quality of Iberian ham, it is important to bear them in mind when buying this type of product, since these regulations have been created mainly to guarantee the quality of the product to consumers.
THE IDEAL WEIGHT AND YIELD OF IBERIAN HAM
In this way, and once we have checked that our Iberian ham complies with the regulations, it is time to choose which is the most appropriate according to our situation, since it is not the same to buy an Iberian ham for an event (where it will be consumed completely that same day) as to buy a piece for a family home, where it will be consumed frequently at certain lunches and dinners.
Therefore, bearing in mind that the yield of an Iberian ham is approximately 50% and that the greater its purity, the higher the fat content, an ideal weight would be around 7 or 8 kg.
If you have not yet decided to buy your piece, in our online store you will find a wide variety of whole Iberian hams with different percentages of purity and D.O. Guijuelo.
