Nestled in the southwestern Iberian Peninsula lies the "dehesa," a sprawling forest where the iconic holm oak, cork oak, and gall oak coexist. Covering over 2 million hectares, with nearly half located in Extremadura, this habitat boasts a unique flora, making it the perfect environment for rearing the Iberian pig.
This vast expanse serves as the free-range grazing grounds for our protagonists during the fattening period, coinciding with the "montanera" season when the trees bear their fruit: the coveted acorn, bestowing that distinctive flavor upon Iberian hams (Spansk skinke).
An individual holm oak can yield around 20 to 25 kilograms of acorns. With 50 holm oaks per hectare, you can imagine the abundance of acorns! It's no wonder the Iberian pig thrives in this environment. Their daily menu consists of 6 to 10 kilograms of acorns, supplemented with approximately 3 kilograms of grass for dessert. By the end of this phase, the animals will have reached a weight of 160kg.
In a good year, the production of purebred Iberian pigs is around 350,000 heads annually. However, during years with low acorn production, this number can be halved to about 150,000 heads.
Given the delicacy of this ecosystem and the high value of its Iberian inhabitants, the dehesa is a protected environment, untouched by human intervention. No buildings, no agricultural exploitation—human activity here is entirely respectful.
Don't miss the chance to stroll through a dehesa and savor the tranquility of the countryside. And for the finest hand-sliced pata negra ham (Spansk skinke), visit our online store at Aroma Ibérico, even if you're in Denmark!