This variety of Iberian ham is produced with meat coming from acorn-fed Iberian pigs that are either 75% or 50% pure Iberian breed, meaning they have been crossbred with other pigs such as the Duroc breed. As in the case of jamón 100% ibérico de bellota, the pigs used in the production of this ham are allowed to roam freely across the oak pasturelands in their final rearing stage, known as the montanera, eating an acorn-based diet until they reach the desired weight for the sacrifice, or the matanza as the Spanish call it. Jamón ibérico de bellota makes for about 13% of the total Iberian ham production and is distinguished by a red label.

The designated areas of Iberian bellota ham production include the Dehesa de Extremadura, Salamanca, Huelva, and Valle de Los Pedroches in Spain, along with Barrancos in Portugal.

Regarded as the most exquisite variety of Iberian ham, or jamón ibérico, this ham is made with the meat of 100% purebred black Iberian pigs that have been roaming freely across oak pastures (Dehesa) and feeding on an acorn-based (bellota) diet.

Apart from these specifications, the pigs also have to be reared in one of the designated places of origin as well as fulfill the specified standards of bellota ham production to receive the most renowned black label or pata negra status - denoting the highest-quality Iberian ham. 

Jamón Ibérico is a unique ham produced both in Spain and in Portugal. It is made from black ibérico pigs who eat a diet of corn, acorns, and other feed, most of them roaming freely across the pastures. As a result, the cured ham is dark red, marbled with veins of fat.

Its flavor is sweet, nutty, and just slightly salty. There are four types of jamón ibérico, depending on the diet of the pigs, namely de bellota (acorns, three years minimum), 100% de bellota, cebo de campo (cereals, free-range pigs), and de cebo (cereals, commercially reared pigs).

Carefully crafted with the same diligent care since the Roman times, Prosciutto di Parma is a true masterwork of time and tradition, and a gold standard of Italian prosciutto. The pigs of the Large White, Landrace and Duroc breed used in the production of this ham must also meet high quality standards, be bred in one of 10 northern and central Italian regions and fed a diet of grains, cereals and whey of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, which contributes to the complex taste of the meat.

Apart from the characteristic microclimate of the Parma region, which is ideal for the drying of prosciutto, a vital part of the curing process is salting. The expert Maestro Salatore (salt master) measures the minimum amount of sea salt required to preserve the meat. 

Jamón Serrano is a cured ham produced using the traditional methods dating back to Roman times. This ham has a bright pink to purple color and shiny appearance when cut. This ham is made in four separate steps that include salting, washing, post-salting, and drying or maturation.

Jamón Serrano is cured and dried without skin for more than a year and has a delicate and characteristic aroma. Not much salt is used during the production of this emblematic ham, which makes it only slightly salty and brings out sweet notes that complement the flavor beautifully. 

Produced in the hilly area around the town of San Daniele in the province of Udine, Prosciutto di San Daniele is even sweeter and darker in color with a more delicate flavor than in other varieties. In the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, where the winds from the Carnic Alps meet the breezes coming in from the Adriatic, Prosciutto di San Daniele is made using only local sea salt.

The curing process here differs a little from other regions since San Daniele hams are stacked on top of each other and left to mature for at least 13 months. Up until recently, only large pig breeds such as Landrace, Large White and Duroc were used for ham production, however due to an increase in demand, San Daniele hams can now be made with other local breeds. 

Known as crème de la crème of Italian hams, with a tradition dating back to the 14th century, Culatello di Zibello is one of the most prized products of Parma nowadays made only with pigs raised in the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia.

Culatello is tender, rich in flavor and has a refined, winey taste. It is one of the leaner forms of cured pork, cut from the best part of the whole fresh ham, and cured with a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic and dry white wine. Since it is stuffed in a natural casing, most often a pig's bladder, and tied with twine, Culatello is sometimes classified as a type of salami. 

Alentejo ham is a regional specialty made from the legs and shoulders of Alentejo pigs produced in the districts of Castelo Branco, Portalegre, Santarém, Évora, Beja, Setubal, and Faro. These areas typically have hot and dry summers and cold winters.

Throughout the centuries, the residents of these regions learned to work with this climate to develop a natural drying process for ham that does not resort to the use of smoke or any other external factors besides the addition of salt. When cut, the ham is reddish-pink to dark red and highly marbled. 

Named after a village nestled in the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche Nature Park, in the northern part of the Andalusian province of Huelva, Jabugo is a variety of the popular Spanish Ibérico ham or shoulder ham made from the meat of the pure-bred Iberian pig or cross-breed of the local Manchado de Jabugo pig, with at least 75 % Iberian blood.

The unique metabolism of these animals allows their fat to integrate into the muscles, evenly marbling the meat, which results in the distinctive flavor and juiciness of each ham. Reared in the so-called 'dehesas', agro-forested lands used primarily for grazing, sparsely wooded with holm and cork oaks, Iberian pigs gorge on acorns which give the meat a particularly sweet and nutty flavor.