Aug. 13--If one were to equate price with quality, then the jamon Iberico of Spain rightly would be considered the best, most exclusive ham on earth. This stuff doesn't even taste like ham. It's the concentration of sweet, nutty pork fat that tastes of the complexity, nuance and richness that would cost $179 a pound. Which it does.
Recently though, I've found a cured ham just as satisfying and at a fraction of the cost. Direct your attention henceforth to the Tamworth prosciutto from La Quercia, the Iowan ham makers beginning to rival in reputation its counterparts in Salamanca, Spain, and Parma, Italy. Quite simply, it's the best American-made prosciutto I've tasted, produced from meaty Tamworth pigs reared in the Ozarks. The acorn-like nuttiness of Iberico hams is present in the Tamworth prosciutto, but it's less harsh (Iberico ham can be astringently sharp), with a mellow, caramel-like flavor from its deep rosey-hued flesh, and succulent fat that dissolves on the palate like butter on a warm plate. It's a deeper, more resonant ham than La Quercia's popular Prosciutto Americano, which is terrific as is.
You'll find this at finer charcuterie retailers, but I get mine from Pastoral for $29.99 a pound. Pastoral has multiple locations, including 2945 N. Broadway, 773-472-4781 and 53 E. Lake, 312-658-1250.
kpang@tribpub.com
