Jabugo, a town with a population of 2,250 located inside the Natural Park of the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche (Huelva, Andalusia in Spain), is famous for its Iberian ham. It is home to Cinco Jotas, founded in 1879, renowned worldwide for its Acorn-fed 100% Ibérico Ham.
In August, I had the opportunity to visit the Cinco Jotas curing cellars. This included a tour of the exposition area, a visit to the original curing caves, a ham carving demonstration and a tasting of acorn-fed 100% ibérico ham with Fino.
The Iberico pig is an ancient breed of African origin, halfway between the boar and the domestic pig, an indigenous breed exclusive to the south-western Iberian Peninsula.
Cinco Jotas ham is the work of nature and the passage of time: over five years to create a ham.
Almost two tears of free-range living, when the pigs can roam freely in the
, where they enjoy the acorns, roots, and plants. dehesa
During the tour of the centuries-old bodegas (curing cellars), I learned that each pig had more than two hectares of dehasa (grazing land with holm oaks, cork oaks or other species); that’s two football fields!
Over three years for the ham to cure slowly in the Cinco Jotas natural cellars.
After discovering Jabugo and enjoying a visit to the Cinco Jotas curing cellars, I drove the short distance to Linares de la Sierra. A quaint, medieval-looking village with a very famous restaurant!
