Cherkizovo: 10 facts about jamón

Moscow, Russia — February 27 — Among Cherkizovo Group’s wide range of meat products is jamón produced using original Spanish technology under the Casademont brand in the Leningrad Region. Let us find more about this delicious product by looking at the top 10 interesting facts about it.

1. Jamón, or Spanish ham, is made from the hind leg of a pig salted and then cured for a long period of time. Known for about two millennia, this product is truly a masterpiece of Spanish cuisine.

2. There are two main types of this deli meat: jamón ibérico made from the meat of rare black pigs and jamón serrano coming from white pigs. Located in Sinyavino, Leningrad Region, Cherkizovo Group’s subsidiary Pit-Product is the only non-EU certified manufacturer of jamón serrano.
   
3. Pit-Product has been producing jamón serrano since 2016 thanks to its cooperation with Spain’s Casademont.
   
4. In 2022, it salted 28,000 pork legs to make jamón.
   
5. Pit-Product receives pork from Cherkizovo Group’s facilities in the Penza, Tambov, Voronezh, Lipetsk, and Orel regions.
   
6. In the Middle Ages, the salting and curing of jamón would start in cellars when the winter came, with the temperature of curing gradually increasing as the seasons changed. The same process is still used nowadays though it takes place under the carefully monitored conditions of a modern factory.
   
7. The product maturation cycle lasts from 7 to 18 months. It starts with the loading of meat into a climate chamber and consists of up to 20 stages.
   
8. Jamón is a good choice for healthy eating as it offers a full range of essential amino acids, B vitamins, iron and zinc. In addition, the product contains no artificial additives, only fresh meat and salt.
   
9. Pit-Product’s jamón can be bought as a whole leg or ready sliced. According to the jamón serrano quality standards, the ham that goes into salting must weigh about 12 kg.
   
10. Jamón is usually served with bread, olives or vegetables, but Cherkizovo experts believe that it goes great with a melon.