Ham Tourism in Spain on the Rise: One-of-a-Kind Experiences

Spain has always been an attractive spot for tourism, especially for foodies who appreciate its spectacular gastronomy. But there’s a new, niche type of food tourism that’s on the rise in Spain: pork tourism.

As awareness, and interest, about Spain’s Ibérico products grows around the world, local producers across the country are increasingly offering packages that allow people to learn about this product first-hand.

That means spending time with the pigs in the pastures; learning about their feeding habits; visiting production facilities, where the hams are dried, salted and cured; ham carving demos; ham carving classes; and, of course, tastings (of ham and other Ibérico products).

Spain’s most famous producers are offering one-of-a-kind pork tourism experiences that anyone would find interesting across all four ham PDOs: Jabugo, Guijuelo, Los Pedroches, and Dehesa de Extremadura, where the country’s best ham—and most emblematic product—is produced.

A Trip to Jabugo

Jabugo PDO, Huelva, arguably Spain’s ham capital, is home to the company Cinco Jotas, known for its black label acorn-fed Ibérico ham that can sell for as much as $1,700 a leg.

The company offers several services, including a visit to the dehesa with the pigs, a tasting of its products, a pairing with Riofrío organic caviar and champagne, a tour of the facilities, and a ham carving demo.

Guijuelo, Home of great Ibéricos

In this PDO situated in Guijuelo (Castile and León), the company Julián Martin also offers many pork tourism related services. This includes a guided visit of their facilities in Salamanca, a mini-course on ham carving, and a product tasting.

Heading to Los Pedroches

Another stop in this Ibérico tour: this PDO is situated in Los Pedroches valley, in the Andalusian province of Córdoba, producer Jamivi offers visitors a 3-hour experience where they can visit its dehesa to see the grazing pigs and a tour its ham curing facilities.

Participants can learn all about the Ibérico pigs, what they eat and how they’re raised, the types of ham legs and shoulders the company produces, and how the hams are cured, among other things. They will also be able to sample the company’s products.

In the ‘dehesas’ of Extremadura

In Dehesa de Extremadura PDO, Extrem Ibérico offers tours of their drying shed and invites people to learn all about every step in the artisan process behind its ham production. Visitors are also invited to sample its products and receive a discount in their store.

Experiencing the best Serrano Ham

Alternatively, in the village of Trevélez, in Granada -home of Jamón de Trevélez PGI-, Jamones Vallejo has a museum that does an excellent job of explaining this unique delicacy, and visitors can even see the oldest ham drying facilities in the area.

Just as wine tourism took off, ham tourism is a promising niche that will help raise awareness around the world about Spain’s top delicacy.