I am against the abuse to the animals. By the way, what happen with the pigs in Spain? If it happens something, it is necessary to denounce. But it seems to be that the humanity that show with the pigs in the north of Europe, doesn't have with other animals, like the geese in France, or the cetaceans in Denmark. What incongruity, truth?

How long will a whole jamon stay fresh after cutting into it?

Also is it just the fat from the pata negra which is good for you or is the fat from all jamon good?

It does feel a bit naughty chomping into all that fat but it is so tasty.

I have to be honest, I find it hard to decipher your post, but I think I might have got the gist of it. I have read many times from expats in these type of forums about how they love the food in Spain, not produced by battery farming as in UK, all so natural. Are they really that naive? Do they imagine all pigs spend an idyllic life routing around under acorn trees eating bellotas? A tiny percentage do, the majority are raised in factory farms, cria intensive. There's a video with this report, but it's not really for those that are sensitive to animal cruelty, you have been warned.
http://www.granjasymataderos.org/gra...ial-cerdos.php

Are you all now going to put me off my new found liking for jamon.

I, believe it or not am an animal lover - I am very aware of how some animals are kept but that wasnt my question.

And I wasn't answering your question, it was clear from my quote that I was answering Relámpago.

Do you mean that everything in the United Kingdom is natural? But everything, everything, everything of everything? I believe that not. I believe that it is impossible. Are millions of British that every day wants to eat, you could not sustain in a more biological way. And in Spain it happens in the same way. In general, the chicken (for example) that sell in the butcher shops, is chicken raised in enormous farms, not in corrals. But in Spain, there are animals as the capons (corral chickens)

or the Iberian pigs (yes, the Iberian pigs, but the true " pata negra ")

that are raised in a natural way. You can think what you want, the true " pata negra " it has been raised in the countryside during centuries, another thing is the other races of pigs

We have raised in the countryside of my uncle rabbits, turkeys, pigs, and you won't see in the same way in any butcher shop a turkey or a pig that us (or you, if you have a farm) you can raise in a more natural way, giving more variety of food and not only " pienso "

If you want something natural, you raises animals with a diverse diet (they put on weight more and the meat knows better) or if you want to eat fruit and vegetables with good flavor, it cultivates your own orchard with natural and biologic " abono " and you will obtain good flavor

In Spain the natural thing also exists. It is that it has always existed, lifelong. There are people that has business this way, and people that has their own countryside and they have animals and orchard, but I believe that it is something more rural than of city. And I believe that it is something untenable for almost everybody, simply because we are millions

no, he means that there is a lot of battery farming in th UK, and that british people ae aware of it


however, they mistakenly & naively believe that battery style farming doesn't exist in Spain


& back on topic - we were going to buy a 'whole' jamon this christmas, but didn't think 2 of us would get through it before it went off (the kids don't like it)


how long do they stay fresh?

They stay fresh for a loooong time. When you start to cut it, cut off a large piece of the fat and when you have cut away the meat you are going to eat, recover the exposed meat with the large piece of fat you removed earlier.

I know that enough time when is open, but I believe that in this web page it is better explained

http://www.jamonesmerino.com/spa/sub...005/SF020.html

" A ham of good quality can tolerate open perfectly during approximately month and half, whenever we conserve it under the good conditions.

To conserve well an open ham, we should cover the cut area with the grease or spare bacon of the cut and to cover it with a clean cloth of kitchen, maintaining it in a dry and fresh place (among 10-15°C of temperature).

As for the ham or boned palette (in center), it is advisable to conserve it in the refrigerator, to a temperature of between 5 and 10ºC "

thanks

so a couple of months in the right conditions

I thought that was illegal, or does it come under the category of country pursuits and traditions.

Animal lover is one of those grossly abused terms that in the long run don't mean anything.

If one truly loved animals, then you would spend your life desperately avoiding doing harm to any living thing.

Otherwise it becomes a kind of fascism, species-ism whereby some animals are deemed worthy of love and others not.

I killed a rat the other day, but afterwards I did feel a degree of reget. If they get into the outbuildings they can do a lot of damage, but I start to think that maybe I should just make the buildings more rat proof.

Live and let live?

Theres only 2 of us to eat it aswell.

Do you reckon we could eat a whole jamon in 2 months.I know it is very versatile and I like it plonked on top of something in the oven.Gives a nice flavour to the food underneath.

It is difficult to strike a balance.

But my question was about jamon thats all-not cruelty or murder.

I don't know

I reckon we could give it a go though

Yep Love it too!! Always wanted to buy a full one but for just the two us seems overkill - so pre-sliced it is for us.

Often tried it as a Tapas off the shank in Bars in Andalucia and Delicious. I really it like it wrapped around fresh asparagus, drizzled with olly oil, chopped garlic and seasoned - baked in teh oven - YUMMY !!

But I dislike the 'Jamon y Queso' baguettes that they deluge you with at airports as their cheap snack - you can't even taste the ham - so what's the point ?