Sensory tasting
Ibérico Ham, a delight for all senses
Enjoying Iberian Ham is undoubtedly a multisensory experience. That is why we want to show you all the tricks so you fully enjoy its tasting, using all your senses.
Here, you’ll learn how to conduct a professional Iberian Ham tasting at home, with simple tips based on the teachings of expert professionals from SIPA, the Service of Analysis and Innovation in Animal Products from the University of Extremadura. Are you ready to start this exciting journey through all your senses?
Sight
With SIGHT, we can appreciate the exterior appearance of the piece. The elongated, streamlined shape and the very fine shank are distinctive visual features of Ibérico Ham.
We should also pay attention to the outer fat covering the piece. If it has a yellowish hue and sinks easily to the touch, then it is, in fact ,Ibérico Ham.
Finally, its slices are marked with a characteristic and unique marbling. The fine, bright white veins contrast perfectly with the deep red of the slice, providing that exclusive aroma, flavour, and intensity.
We should also pay attention to the outer fat covering the piece. If it has a yellowish hue and sinks easily to the touch, then it is, in fact ,Ibérico Ham.
Finally, its slices are marked with a characteristic and unique marbling. The fine, bright white veins contrast perfectly with the deep red of the slice, providing that exclusive aroma, flavour, and intensity.
Touch
It is precisely that characteristic marbling of Ibérico Ham that gives it a smooth and delicate texture, thanks to the bright infiltrated fat that expands and melts to the touch in each slice.
A very pleasant texture with the right level of firmness to allow for enough chew, creating that unique burst of flavor on our palate.
A very pleasant texture with the right level of firmness to allow for enough chew, creating that unique burst of flavor on our palate.
Smell
After sight, it’s time to focus on the sense of smell. With it, we can appreciate the aroma, one of the most complex aspects of Ibérico Ham to perceive, as it’s captured both in the nose and in the mouth. If we enjoy a cured, intense, pleasant, and balanced aroma, then we are actually enjoying Ibérico Ham.
Taste
And of course, we couldn’t finish a sensory tasting of Iberian Ham without talking about taste, a sense closely linked to smell. The aromas are captured both in the nose and the moment we place the slice on our palate. At that moment, smell and taste come together, contributing to that intense flavour explosion so characteristic of Ibérico Ham. Sweet, salty, and cured notes come together in umami, that subtle, lingering fifth taste that’s so hard to describe and stimulates our palate.
A moment of pure enjoyment that begins the moment you smell Ibérico Ham.
A second in your a mouth, a memory forever
A moment of pure enjoyment that begins the moment you smell Ibérico Ham.
A second in your a mouth, a memory forever