Iberian Ham Tasting Guide
Before reaching the consumer, it's highly likely that a group of experts have already subjected the ham to a tasting process based on a set of established quality criteria. The tasting is carried out by a committee of experts in sensory analysis, composed of judges, experts and a jury or panel of selected tasters, who have been trained and educated in order to participate. There are rules that exist in order to systematise the analysis, which has three phases: visual and tactile (appearance and texture), olfactory (differentiating smells) and gustatory (taste).
The samples are coded and the results from the tasting are written on a sheet with the corresponding scores for each of the different characteristics. The total sum of points is what determines the final quality of the product. Now let's review a few concepts associated with a ham tasting.
What are the phases of an Iberian ham tasting?
Visual and tactile phase
First off, the general shape of the piece is evaluated. The ham is evaluated before it is cut, taking into account its shape, size, size of the ankle, appearance of the hoof or appearance of the rind and any irregularities it may have. The following aspects are looked at:- Shape: it must be elongated or slender, pieces that are wide in the rear are penalised.
- Cut of the skin: it is usually triangular, with about half of the piece measured from the hoof being free of skin.
- Size and weight: between 6 and 8 kg. A lower weight means a younger pig with little fat infiltration. Very heavy pieces correspond to older pigs or a questionable breed.
- Hooves: no deformities. They must be equal and will be penalised if the inner hoof is shorter than the outer one, since any wear and tear of this type may indicate that the animal had been stabled.
- Ankle: usually very thin.
- Bevelling or correct shaping.
- Inner and outer fat.
- The fat must be abundant, fluid and yellow on the surface of the piece.
- White or pink with a faint yellow tint on the inner layers. A certain amount of pink colouration is indicative of quality. When you cut the fat, you can see the progression of the colour, which goes from yellow on the outside to pink, and then eventually turns white.
To finish this phase, the experts proceed to evaluate the lean meat. The main aspects to consider are:
- Colour: hams that have more intense and darker reds are better classified. This indicates that the pig has received an acorn-based diet and has received good muscular exercise during the "montanheira" grazing period.
- Shininess: at room temperature, part of the fat is in a liquid state, coming to the surface when the ham is cut and quickly acquiring the characteristic shininess that is so highly valued in acorn-fed ham.
- Marbling: symbol of quality that comes from the intramuscular fat that can be seen immediately upon cutting the ham.
- Tyrosine crystals: amino acids in crystalline form, product of protein degradation, observed as white spots that appear in the ham. They are indicative of an optimal and prolonged curing and maturation process.
Olfactory-gustatory phase
The first thing to evaluate in this phase is the smell. The components are: intensity (strength of the stimulus), description of the smell and its persistence. This is done by breathing in directly over the sample and is evaluated as medium, low or high. The following descriptions can be considered:- Positive smells: acorn, nuts, burnt/toasted sugar, cellar and rancid.
- Negative smells: fat/oily, moisture, mould, fish, fresh meat, blood, very rancid, ammonia or drugs.
As for aroma, it is perceived indirectly. The expert chews the sample for a few seconds and then opens the mouth slightly, breathing in an amount of air that reaches the nose through the retronasal route, detecting stimuli and aromas.
Persistence refers to the sensation that remains in the mouth after chewing and ingesting the slice of ham. Depending on how long it lasts, it is classified as weak (3 seconds), medium (10-15 seconds) or high (more than 30 seconds).
Aftertaste is defined as the olfactory-gustatory sensation that appears after having swallowed the ham and that differs from the sensations perceived when the ham was in the mouth.
Currently, to name the complex olfactory sensation that is perceived through the nostrils and the palate when chewing, experts have coined the term "flavour", which is evaluated according to:
- Intensity and quality based on the large quantity of volatile and odorous substances that are released during the maturation period.
- Persistence or permanence of the aroma once the food has disappeared from the mouth. The lasting aromas with rancid and spicy nuances are very characteristic of the Iberian ham and come from the ham's curing process.
- Cured aroma, which arises as a direct consequence of the use of natural nitrites and nitrates in the salt during the production process.
- Rancidity, to a certain degree, is considered positive provided it is accompanied by other intense aromas like that of acorns and curing.
On the other hand, the following is evaluated in the texture of the lean meat:
Dryness: determines the degree of wateriness in the ham. The temperature, relative humidity, curing process and weight of the piece significantly influence its water content. The ideal humidity is less than 45%.
- Fibrosity: determines the tendency of the slice to separate into fibres and their resistance to losing structure. It depends on the amount of intramuscular fat and bundles of muscle fibres. Iberian ham, due to the high rates of intramuscular fat, should provide a sensation of low fibrosity.
- Juiciness: moisture during chewing plus the effect of the fat on saliva flow are the two factors that make up the juiciness sensation. The greater the juiciness of the piece, the better the ham's quality.
- Hardnesss: hardness when chewing is very closely related to fibrosity and the amount of fat infiltration. Too much hardness is negative, although a certain degree is appreciated in order to increase chewing time and to favour and stimulate the secretion of saliva.
- Salty: salt content that is not too high from the nutritional and sensory point of view, and not too low to allow for microbiological growth.
- Sweet: flavour provoked by the wide range of amino acids and sugar derivatives capable of producing a sweet sensation.
- Bitter: directly related to sweet, since many of the substances responsible for the sweet taste are also bitter.
- Acid: it is not common to find this flavour.
- Umami: considered to be the fifth flavour; present in foods that are rich in monosodium glutamate and is comparable to the taste of meat.
- Metal.
What other factors intervene in the final sensory quality?
Genetics, breeding and type of diet. The breed and intensive or extensive production method, as well as whether or not the pig is castrated, are all factors that are closely tied to sensorial quality. The same goes for the feeding model: free-range and acorn-fed, free-range and grain-fed, or commercially reared grain-fed pigs. In the extensive system, feeding is usually based on grass and acorn during the final fattening phase, which has a significant influence on the type and percentage of intramuscular fat and positively contributes to the aroma and the appearance of pleasant aromatic notes, and a more reddish colour of the meat.Weight and age at slaughter: Being slaughtered later on at a higher weight produces hardness in the meat; something that also occurs with castrated pigs.
Slaughter. Slaughtering the pig in towns that are located close to the meadows where they have been raised is essential in preventing or minimising the stress produced by transporting the animals, which significantly impairs the final result and the excellent quality of the Iberian ham.
Todo sobre el jamón
Contenido
- 1 Tipos de jamón ibérico
- 2 Cómo consumir jamón ibérico
- 3 Cortar jamón ibérico
- 4 Cómo conservar el jamón ibérico
- 5 Maridaje del jamón ibérico
- 6 Ley de calidad del jamón ibérico
- 7 La Dehesa
- 8 Denominaciones de origen del jamón ibérico
- 9 Propiedades nutricionales del jamón ibérico de bellota
- 10 Recetas con jamón
- 11 Diferencias entre jamón ibérico y jamón serrano
- 12 Diferencias entre paletilla y jamón ibérico
- 13 Diferencias entre jamón ibérico y jamón serrano
- 14 Jamón ibérico y sus competidores en el mundo
- 15 Propiedades nutricionales del jamón ibérico
- 16 Denominación de origen del jamón ibérico
- 17 Zonas de elaboración del jamón y del jamón pata negra
- 18 Jamón cortado a mano o a máquina
- 19 Museos del jamón ibérico en el mundo
- 20 Cata de jamón ibérico: todos los secretos
- 21 Ruta del jamón ibérico
- 22 El jamón ibérico de bellota y su maridaje ideal
- 23 Proceso de elaboración de los embutidos ibéricos
- 24 Historia de los embutidos ibéricos
- 25 IVA para el jamón: preguntas y respuestas
- 26 El jamón en la literatura
- 27 Curiosidades del jamón ibérico
- 28 Cómo conservar el jamón serrano
- 29 Normativa de calidad del jamón serrano
- 30 Elaboración del jamón serrano
- 31 Denominaciones de origen del jamón serrano
- 32 Propiedades nutricionales del jamón serrano
- 33 Recetas con jamón serrano
- 34 Tipos de jamón serrano
- 35 Maridaje del jamón serrano
- 36 Cómo consumir jamón serrano
- 37 Cortar jamón serrano
- 38 Todos los secretos sobre la cata de jamón pata negra
- 39 Cómo elegir un buen soporte jamonero
- 40 Cuál es el mejor jamón pata negra?
- 41 Es correcto el término jamón pata negra?
- 42 Jamón pata negra y dehesa
- 43 Los secretos del maridaje del jamón pata negra
- 44 ¿Cómo saber qué jamón comprar?
- 45 ¿Por qué el buen jamón es tan caro?
- 46 ¿Cómo comprar jamón en tiendas online?
- 47 Mitos y realidades, beneficios y prejuicios del jamón
- 48 ¿El jamón ibérico engorda?
- 49 ¿Qué hacemos con el hueso del jamón?
- 50 ¿Por qué solemos colgar el jamón?
- 51 Jamón y embarazo: ¿Se puede incluir el jamón ibérico en la dieta de las embarazadas?
- 52 El rol del jamón en el crecimiento y desarrollo de los niños
- 53 Consejos para conservar el jamón
- 54 ¿Qué es el perfilado del jamón y por qué se hace?
- 55 Nuevas tecnologías y jamón - Resonancia magnética en la cata del jamón - Imágenes espectrales
- 56 El cerdo ibérico comienza a emigrar
- 57 Embutidos: Origen, composición y clasificación
- 58 Elaboración de jamones y paletas
- 59 Guía de Cata del Jamón Ibérico
- 60 Elementos diferenciales de calidad en jamón y embutidos “ibéricos”
- 61 El mapa del jamón en España
- 62 Propiedades de la grasa del jamón ibérico
- 63 Cómo transportar jamón ibérico y otros alimentos en vuelos internacionales
- 64 Prevalencia de patógenos y beneficios de los ácidos orgánicos en la producción de cerdos