Iberian ham is one of the most expensive luxury food products
produced in Europe. It is obtained from pigs left free to graze on
grass and acorns in Spanish agrosilvopastoral systems (‘‘Dehesa”).
Depending on the feeding regime during the final growing period,
hams are classified in one of three commercial categories (BOE,
2007): ‘‘Bellota” (i.e. animals exclusively fed with grass and acorns)
‘‘Recebo” (i.e. animals fed with grass and acorns supplemented
with compound feeds) and ‘‘Cebo” (i.e. animals fed with compound
feeds), and priced accordingly, at 125 euros, 60 euros and 25 euros
per kilo, respectively. Like other high-quality products, most Iberian
hams are now produced under a given PDO (protected designation
of origin), i.e. they are produced, processed and prepared in
a given geographical area using recognised techniques.