In mid-December, I went with a film crew from Kabel Eins first to Unterfranken to visit an acorn-fed pig processing facility, and then a week later to southwest of Munich to visit the charcuterie manufactory that produces Made in Germany acorn-fed ham from them. Our mission was to find out whether this German ham can hold its own against the famous Jamón Ibérico (de Bellota). The result: the ham has nothing to hide behind, tastes wonderfully aromatic, mild-nutty-sweet, and has an exceptionally tender, melt-in-the-mouth fat that makes up a large part of its uniqueness. I liked it so much that we have now also added it to our range as a one-off promotion for now. You can read more details about this highly interesting culinary excursion in this older blog post.
A month later, we flew with the entire Maître Philippe team to Montpellier in southern France to visit the large organic wine trade fair "Millésime Bio" (more on that here shortly). On the way there, we had time for a short stopover in Barcelona, which I used to buy a little bit of the real Jamón Ibérico. That was probably a lucky guess, because on the evening of my return I was hungry, but had almost nothing left in the refrigerator, which – I gladly admit – in the case of a delicatessen daughter is still quite a lot. Among other things, I "found" various hams, from which I put together a spontaneous ham tasting: the two freshly purchased varieties of Jamón Ibérico (one aged for 5 years and one of unknown, so presumably 36-month aging), the German acorn-fed ham Made in Unterfranken and our air-dried ham from the black Pyrenean pig Porc Noir de Bigorre. In addition, a package of Catalan duck ham, which came out of competition on the tasting table.
From left to right: the German acorn-fed ham, the ham from the black Pyrenean pig, the 5-year-aged Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, the other Jamón Ibérico (36 months?)
Far left: the German acorn-fed ham. Top center: the ham from the black Pyrenean pig, bottom center: the other Jamón Ibérico (36 months?). Top right: the 5-year-aged Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, bottom right: the Catalan duck ham.
Such a ham tastes best when you take it out of the refrigerator and packaging in time before the tasting, so that it can reach room temperature and fully develop its aroma. Here it looks particularly beautiful because it is arranged on an oiled wooden board made of American walnut, which was handcrafted by our friend Arnd Seibert from Ovaso.
And now: get stuck in and bon appétit!
The tasting notes: First of all, I really have to send the note that all the candidates present are of outstanding quality and have elicited multiple sounds of delight from the tasters, which were flanked by finger-licking and various licking of the lips, which were accompanied by a shy but happy smile.
The bright light-red German acorn-fed ham lies on the first level of the spiciness scale with its mild-nutty-sweet taste and is therefore excellently suited as an entry-level fine ham. It is characterized by a pleasant smoky note, which comes from storage with other, smoked ham products. Its texture is very nicely crumbly and the fat is grainy. In the mouth, it melts on the tongue and thus contributes decisively to a very beautiful, round taste experience.
The darker ham from the Porc Noir de Bigorre is already more intense. The lean meat tastes exceptionally aromatic, complex and fruity and reminds of Bayonner ham. The fat is mild-sweet with nutty notes and forms a wonderful contrast. Together, it results in a very round taste in the mouth with distinct notes of dried fruit.
The 36-month-aged (?) Jamón Ibérico de Bellota tastes completely different, which – as we suspect – is due in part to the fact that the fat and lean meat are not as clearly separated from each other as in the other hams, but that the meat is practically marbled with fat and looks like red marble. Its taste is intense and somehow fruity-sweet and also less salty than the predecessors. You can taste it as a whole, you cannot separate the lean meat and fat from each other, which leaves a very harmonious impression. Also for beginners, for whom the very aged hams may be too spicy.
The 5-year-aged Jamón Ibérico de Bellota marks the highest level on the spiciness scale and offers exactly the meaty-aromatic ham taste that you expect when you think of Spain. Very characterful and spicy, somehow deep, dark, almost earthy and very long-lasting. If the Pyrenean ham goes in the direction of Bayonner ham, then you can place this in the direction of Serrano ham. Just for orientation, because of course we are dealing with a much higher quality product here.
The duck ham finally tastes really completely different! The duck aroma stands out clearly – here no smoke aroma or other seasoning distracts from the core, which is very nice – and when the fat melts in the mouth, I was reminded of good olive oil. It is spicy to creamy and has the least sweetness of all the hams tasted.
The conclusion: For beginners and all those who do not want to dig too deep into their pockets, we can warmly recommend the very elegant German acorn-fed ham. Its mild-sweet nuttiness should also appeal to children or slightly picky eaters and because the slices are nicely thin, you can easily devour a lot of it.
The black Pyrenean ham is something for more experienced gourmets who want to discover something new. Its aromatic richness and the fact that the slices are medium-thick contribute to the fact that you enjoy it slowly and with the 4 slices from the package you can easily make 2 - 4 people very happy.
The Spanish hams are a class of their own and confirm the reputation they enjoy worldwide. The 5-year-aged is without doubt a wonderfully spicy ham for real gourmets with a palate accustomed to character products – the other stands out from all the others with its fruity note and is therefore the surprise of the evening.
The duck ham can be snacked on like chocolates due to the small slices and delights with its great authentic taste. You also immediately get the urge to think of tapas with it.
And now it's your turn! Try to see which one you like best and feel free to write us your feedback at noemie@maitrephilippe.de
