Region
The way to preserve food by salting been known since Roman times and thanks to the Jurisdiction of Montánchez (1236) we know of the existence of rangelands for the production of acorns for the pigs there were already in the XIII century.
Meanwhile, the ham of the Sierra is cited by Lope de Vega, in his Epistle to the Controller Gaspar de Barrionuevo:
"Jamón presunto de español marrano
/ De la sierra famosa de Aracena/
Adonde huyó del mundo Arias Montano".
The ham is the hind limb of Iberian pig with foot and hoof black or very dark, under a process of curing salt and a minimum of 16 or 18 months in the wild. The ingredients for a good ham is ham from Iberian pigs fed on pasture based on acorns and grasses, salt and time. Ham production is attained in the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche, at altitudes of 600 m. and above, especially the production of Castaño del Robledo, Corteconcepción, Cortegana, Cumbres Mayores and Jabugo, simply because there were installed the first ham companies.
