Guijuelo
Also known as: Jamón de Guijuelo, Guijuelo ham, Jamón Guijuelo
Guijuelo is a Spanish PDO for hams and shoulders of pigs with at least 50% Iberian blood, salted and cured in 78 municipalities of Salamanca at about 1,000 m altitude.
Guijuelo (also Guijuelo ham, Jamón de Guijuelo) is a Spanish PDO for hams and shoulders of pigs with at least 50% Iberian blood. The pigs are fattened in dehesas across four regions, while salting and curing happen in 78 municipalities in the south-east of Salamanca province, at about 1,000 m. The name was registered in the EU on 21 June 1996 (PDO-ES-0077).
How did a small town become a ham centre? The specification points to 1880: that year industrial slaughter began in Guijuelo, helped by the new national road and railway.
The legs come from adult pigs, excluding boars and breeding sows. The breed is Iberian or Iberian × Duroc, with at least 50% Iberian blood. De bellota pigs graze the montanera on acorns and grass for more than 60 days and are slaughtered at 14 months or older; de cebo de campo pigs live on outdoor range, eat feed and must be at least 12 months old. They can grow up in Castilla y León, Extremadura, Andalusia or Castilla-La Mancha, but slaughter and curing stay inside the processing zone.
The work runs in five steps: salting (time depends on weight), washing in warm water and shaping, post-salting, drying and ageing. Drying takes place in buildings with windows, in natural air, until the fat starts to melt on its own; this stage lasts at least 6 months. The overall floor comes from the national standard Real Decreto 4/2014: 730 days for a ham of 7 kg or more.
The cut runs from pink to purple-red with veins of fat; the taste is delicate, sweetish or lightly salty, and the PDO itself stresses a mild flavour from minimal salt. Monounsaturated fatty acids must make up at least 54% of the fat. The rind is covered with white, blue-grey or violet mould.
Jabugo takes only 100% Iberian acorn-fed pigs, Los Pedroches only 100% Iberian. Guijuelo is broader: 50% and 75% qualify, and so does the cebo de campo class. Its climate is its own too: a high plateau, long cold winters and a dry wind.
The seal goes on at the slaughterhouse: black for bellota 100% ibérico, red for bellota ibérico (50 or 75%), green for cebo de campo. There is no white, because the PDO does not accept the cebo class. After certification the «Guijuelo» logo is branded on the leg and a numbered band with the EU symbol and the class is added. A finished ham weighs at least 6.5 kg (100%) or 7 kg.
How to read the rest of the label is explained on the page Jamón ibérico, how to carve on How to carve jamón; for the wider picture see Dry-cured hams and shoulders.
Why this matters to you: in 2023, according to MAPA, Guijuelo marked 75,704 hams, and the largest group, 32,334, was bellota 75%. So the word «Guijuelo» does not tell you the pig was purebred: check the seal colour and the percentage.
Facts
| Animal | Iberian pig or Iberian × Duroc, at least 50% Iberian (classes 100, 75, 50%) |
|---|---|
| Cut | Ham and shoulder |
| Curing | Salting, washing, post-salting, natural drying ≥6 months, ageing |
| Minimum maturation | 730 days for a ham of 7 kg or more under Real Decreto 4/2014 |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | 78 municipalities in south-east Salamanca (Castilla y León), about 1,000 m |
| Registered | PDO since 21.06.1996 (Regulation (EC) 1107/96), PDO-ES-0077 |
How it connects to Cured meats & charcuterie
Guijuelo → then → Curing of meat → kind of → 🥓 Cured meats & charcuterie
Links
- Next step
- Curing of meat
- Made from
- Iberian pig
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 Spaniards
- Part of
- Jamón ibérico
- Similar and different
- Jabugo
Frequently asked questions
What is Guijuelo ham?
A Spanish PDO for hams and shoulders of pigs with at least 50% Iberian blood. They are salted and cured in 78 municipalities in south-east Salamanca, at about 1,000 m.
What seals does Guijuelo ham carry?
Black for bellota 100% ibérico, red for bellota ibérico (50 or 75%), green for cebo de campo. There is no white: this PDO does not accept the cebo class.
What is the difference between Guijuelo and Jabugo?
Jabugo takes only 100% Iberian acorn-fed pigs. Guijuelo also accepts 50% and 75% breed and the cebo de campo class, and cures on the high plateau of Salamanca.
How long is Guijuelo ham cured?
Natural drying lasts at least 6 months. The overall minimum for a ham of 7 kg or more comes from Real Decreto 4/2014: 730 days.
Is it true that Guijuelo pigs are raised in Guijuelo?
No. The pigs are fattened in dehesas of Castilla y León, Extremadura, Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha. Slaughter and curing take place in the 78 municipalities of Salamanca.
What to read next
- Iberian pig — The Iberian pig is a native breed of the Iberian Peninsula with five varieties, tied to the dehesa of south-west Spain and Portugal; it is the animal behind jamón ibérico.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Spaniards — The people of Spain; flamenco, human towers, Fallas, the world's largest vineyards and over a third of the world's olive oil.
- Curing of meat — Curing of meat is treatment with salt, often with nitrite, applied dry, as brine or by injection: salt binds water and, together with drying, makes meat suitable for long keeping.
Similar
Los Pedroches · Dehesa de Extremadura · Jamón serrano · Jamón de Teruel · Jamón de Trevélez · Jabugo
ℹ️ IARC (WHO) classes processed meat in Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans): each 50 g eaten daily raises colorectal cancer risk by about 18 %. Eat it in moderation.