Jamon Bellota: 5J

The jamon bellota 5J is a ham that is that only one of its kind in the world. 5J ham from thoroughbred Iberian pigs fattened on acorns (bellotas). Is a trade mark developed by Sánchez Romero Carvajal and with the time has been grown into the synonym of maximum quality for the Iberian products. In 1983 Osborne bought some participation in Sánchez Romero Carvajal, and nowadays owns 100% of the company. Their main focus is the recovery, selection and improvement of the pure race of the Iberian pig that happened to be then close to the extinction.

The elements that made the jamon bellota quality so high are:

• It is to be found in the city of Jabugo since 1879.
• The black pig is unique to the Iberian peninsula and its has a genetic defect making the fat go into the muscle, giving it a marble look.
• The pigs are breed at liberty.
• Their diet is based on acorns.
• Jamon bellota is cured craft of the hand of the Master Jamonero and hand sliced to keep all the flavor.
• The meet produces good cholesterol. In Spain they are called “olive tress with legs” as they have a lot of oleic acid in them.
• It takes 36 months average for the jamon bellota to be cured.

The strict quality control and high sensory standards set by the mark, they convert to jamon bellota 5J in a scarce product in the market and the preferred by the experts and lovers of the gastronomy. Just recently, it was awarded 3 stars by the International Taste & Quality Institute.

There are different types of Iberian products depending on their feeding:

- bellota: 16% (ca. 100% Iberico)
- recebo: 23% (ca. 50% Iberico)
- cebo: 61% (ca. 10% Iberico)

The best way to eat jamon bellota is with some toasted bread with some tomato and olive oil.