The basics
Why is Ibérico ham so expensive?
Ibérico ham easily costs €100 to €300 per kilo. Six reasons why: the breed, the acorns, the space in the dehesa, years of curing, weight loss and craftsmanship.
By Ibéricos Anjoreta · Updated on
In the Netherlands Ibérico ham easily costs €100 to €300 per kilo, and a whole bellota ham several hundred euros. That seems a lot for a piece of meat, but years of work go into that price. These are the six main reasons.
1. A rare, slow-growing breed
The Iberian pig is an ancient breed from south-west Spain. It grows more slowly than the white pigs of intensive farming and sows have smaller litters. Fewer animals and more time per animal: that costs money.
2. Acorns from the dehesa
For the top quality, bellota, the pigs roam the dehesa, the oak woodlands of southern Spain, in their final months. They eat acorns and grass during the montanera, roughly October to March. Acorns are only there for a few months a year and each tree yields a limited amount. That caps the number of bellota pigs each year.
3. Lots of space per pig
A pig in the dehesa needs a lot of land. Where an ordinary farm keeps thousands of animals in a small area, a bellota pig has hectares of oak woodland. Land and time are expensive.
4. Years of curing
Under the Spanish quality standard a whole Ibérico ham cures for at least 600 days, or 730 days for hams of 7 kg or more. Good bellota often cures for three years or longer. All that time the ham sits in a cellar: money standing still.
5. Weight loss
During salting and curing a ham loses a good part of its weight as moisture evaporates. Then bone, rind and fat come off when carving. Roughly half of a whole ham ends up as sliceable meat.
6. Carving is a craft
Hand-carving a ham into wafer-thin slices is a skill. A good cortador gets more and better slices from a ham. Hand-carved ham therefore costs more than machine-sliced.
What do you pay in the Netherlands?
| Type | Indicative price |
|---|---|
| Supermarket serrano | approx. €40 per kg |
| Ibérico de cebo de campo, sliced | approx. €100 – 120 per kg |
| Ibérico de bellota, hand-carved | approx. €200 – 325 per kg |
Is it worth it?
You do not eat Ibérico ham like ordinary cold cuts. You need very little: 30 to 50 grams per person is enough as a snack (see how much ham per person). To try Ibérico for less, choose cebo de campo with the green label. For the best, choose bellota.
Read also serrano vs Ibérico and the four label colours, or see our Ibérico ham.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Ibérico ham more expensive than serrano?
The Iberian pig grows more slowly, has smaller litters and is often kept outdoors. Ibérico ham also cures much longer: at least 600 to 730 days for a whole ham, versus months to just over a year for serrano.
Is expensive Ibérico ham worth it?
For a special occasion, yes: you need very little, as 30 to 50 grams per person is enough as a snack. To try Ibérico for less, choose cebo de campo (green label).
How do you spot suspiciously cheap 'Ibérico'?
Look at the full name and the label colour. If it does not state bellota, cebo de campo or cebo with the breed percentage, or the price per kilo is suspiciously low, be careful.