Inside Spain’s Most Prestigious Jamón Ibérico Competition

How "Alimentos de España" celebrates one of the greatest treasures of Spanish gastronomy: Jamón Ibérico de Bellota

Carrying out the visual assessment to select the Best Ibérico Ham of 2026, together with the other jury members: Noelia Martín, Samuel del Amo and Vicente Campini.

I have always believed that Spain is the richest country in the world.

Not because of money, but because of something much more important to me: Our food, our producers, our landscapes, our traditions and the way we understand life around the table.

Alimentos de España said it beautifully in one of its campaigns: “El país más rico del mundo” (the richest country in the world). And after spending three intense days in Cáceres as part of the judging panel choosing the Best Jamón Ibérico de Bellota 2026, that sentence makes even more sense to me.

There are foods that are not only eaten. They are understood, respected and celebrated... Jamón Ibérico de Bellota is one of them.

It is one of the most important products in Spanish gastronomy, not only because of its flavour, but because of everything behind it... The land, the animals, the producers, the curing process, the patience, the knowledge and the many families and businesses that live around this wonderful product.

This year, for the second year in a row, I had the great honour of being invited by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, through Alimentos de España, to be part of the judging panel for the award selecting the Best Jamón Ibérico de Bellota 2026.

For me, this is a privilege, a responsibility and, above all, a fantastic opportunity to keep learning.

The important work of Alimentos de España

Before talking about the tasting itself, I think it is important to recognise the great work done by Alimentos de España.

Those of us who live outside Spain value this even more. Spanish food is one of our greatest ambassadors, but it needs to be explained, protected and promoted properly.

Jamón Ibérico de Bellota is culture, but it is also economy. Behind every jamón there are farmers, producers, ham bodegas, carvers, restaurants, shops, distributors and many people working very hard to keep this product at the highest level.

Events like this help to give visibility to all of them.

Th

ey remind us that a great jamón never happens by accident... It is the result of years of work, patience, tradition and knowledge.

That is why the work of Alimentos de España is so important... It is not only about promoting food, It is about promoting Spain!!!

A competition where only the product speaks

One of the things I value most about this competition is the seriousness of the method. The tasting takes place in Cáceres, over three very intense days. From the beginning, everything is done completely blind.

The judging panel never has access to the brands taking part. We do not see labels, names or any commercial information. We never know which producer is behind each Jamón, that makes the process very clean.

The only thing we judge is the product... No influence. No pressure. No brand reputation. Just the Jamón, the method and the criteria of each judge.

Each ham is carefully examined so that every criterion can be assessed, ultimately determining the Best Acorn-Fed Ibérico Ham of 2026.

First step: judging the whole ham

The process begins with a visual assessment of the whole hams.

Before a jamón is even opened, there is already a lot to observe. We evaluate the general appearance, the shape, the presentation, the homogeneity, the trimming and the cleaning of each piece.

The outside of a Jamón tells you many things. It shows care, balance and respect for the product. This is not just about whether a Jamón looks beautiful. It is about whether the piece shows harmony, regularity and good work.

After the initial visual assessment, the hams are cut open through the centre of the maza, giving us access to an area from which we can take three different samples.

When the ham is opened

After this first visual stage, the hams are opened by the maza, one of the most important parts of the Jamón.

At this point, the Jamón starts to speak in a different way, we look carefully at the fat and the lean meat.

In the fat, we evaluate the quantity, the distribution, the oxidation, the shine and the uniformity. Fat is not a small detail in Jamón Ibérico de Bellota. It is one of the keys to understanding the quality of the piece.

In the lean meat, we look at the colour, the intensity, the correct curing, the cut and the general quality of the drying process.

Every Jamón has its own personality. Some show a deep red colour. Others have beautiful fat infiltration. Others stand out for their texture or their balance.

But every piece must be judged with the same respect and the same attention.

From each ham, we taste three slices taken from different areas: the shank(Jarrete), the maza and the punta of the maza. Every sample has its own number.

The tasting room

After the visual assessment, we move to a specific tasting room.

Each judge works individually, in their own tasting booth. This is very important because it protects the independence of every opinion.

We receive small numbered plates, covered with plastic, with the slices ready to taste. The number I receive does not match the number received by the other judges, this makes every tasting completely independent.

For each Jamón, we taste three slices from different parts of the piece: one close to the jarrete, one from the maza and another from the punta de maza.

This is very important because a ham does not taste exactly the same in every part. Texture, fat, flavour and persistence can change from one area to another.

During the tasting, we judge aroma, texture, flavour, salt level and persistence in the mouth. Each parameter is scored from 1 to 7...It may sound simple, but it is not.

Every slice needs time. You look, you smell, you taste, you think and then you score... And then you start again with the next Jamón.

Each jury member has their own designated and protected tasting area. We are all provided with green apple, breadsticks and plenty of fresh water.

Three intense days of concentration

This is not just “eating Jamón”... It is three days of real concentration.

Every jamón deserves attention. You cannot let yourself be influenced by the previous one. You cannot rush. You cannot taste without thinking.

There are breaks to relax the palate. In the tasting room there is plenty of water, green apple to clean the palate and picos (Bread sticks).

These small details are very important. After tasting many of the best Bellota hams in Spain, your palate needs to stay fresh and focused.

And during those days you really understand the responsibility of being part of the judging panel.

Each tasting deserves our time, concentration and respect.

A system designed to avoid any influence

One of the things that impressed me most was the organisation by the SIPA team.

The system is designed so that it is practically impossible to follow the same Jamón through the different stages of the tasting.

The hams change number in every part of the process. This means that a ham with one number during the visual stage will never appear with the same number later in the tasting room.

If I liked a ham visually, I cannot follow it by number in the next stage.

This avoids any possible influence from one part of the tasting to another.

Of course, experience can help you recognise certain profiles: a texture, a type of fat, a curing style or a flavour... But the system makes it extremely difficult to connect the pieces.

That gives the competition enormous credibility.

Sharing impressions with Antonio Silva Rodríguez, Technical Director of the Animal-Origin Products Analysis and Innovation Service (SIPA) at the University of Extremadura (UEx).

The five finalists

From all the iberian hams presented, five finalists are selected.

On the last day, those five iberian hams are judged again independently. The visual tasting is repeated and, this time, we also look at the babilla as well as the maza.

After that, we return to the tasting room and receive new samples, again with new numbers., this final stage has a special intensity.

At this point, every small detail matters. Every point counts.

On the other side, behind the scenes and making sure every sample reaches us, Ángela Colomo and Francisco Vadillo create the magic of a perfectly coordinated operation.

What this experience means for Spanish Ham Master

Taking part in this kind of official tasting is not only a personal honour. It is also an incredible learning experience.

Every Jamón Ibérico tasted, every technical conversation and every exchange with professionals from the sector helps me understand the product better.

And that knowledge has a direct impact on my daily work at Spanish Ham Master.

Selecting the right Jamón for each customer is a big responsibility. Every client is different. Some look for intensity. Others prefer balance, sweetness, curing, texture or a longer persistence in the mouth.

Understanding the market better, recognising different curing styles and comparing hams of such a high level helps us improve our selection process.

Events like this make us better at choosing the right jamón for the right customer.

Because a great ham is never chosen by chance... It is chosen through knowledge, experience and after tasting many, many slices over the years.

Spanish Ham Master is always committed to finding the very best ham for its clients. Being part of the judging panel for the Best Acorn-Fed Ibérico Ham 2026 is a wonderful opportunity to deepen our knowledge and continue learning about this exceptional product.

The producers deserve huge respect

I also want to congratulate all the producers who presented their hams to the competition, taking part in a contest like this requires courage, pride and confidence in your work.

It is not easy to put your product in front of an independent judging panel in such a serious blind tasting process.

For that reason, every producer who takes part deserves recognition, I would also like to encourage more Spanish ham producers to take part in future editions. It is worth it. Not only because of the possibility of winning, but because being part of a competition with this level of seriousness already gives value to the product.

Jamón Ibérico de Bellota deserves to be shown with pride.

Cáceres, hospitality and gastronomy

Beyond the technical work, these days in Cáceres were also a beautiful opportunity to enjoy the city and its gastronomy. Once again, the team showed incredible hospitality. They made sure the technical part of the competition was a success, but also that everyone involved felt welcome and looked after.

And that matters too, because around the Jamón Ibérico there is also territory, conversation, shared food tables and culture.

A successful project surrounded by outstanding professionals.

My thanks

I want to thank the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for the opportunity to be part of this judging panel.

For me, it is a real honour and a great responsibility.

I also want to congratulate the whole SIPA team, led by Antonio Silva, for the excellent facilities and the fantastic organisation of the tasting process.

A special thanks to Noelia Martín for the seriousness and precision with which the whole process is carried out.

Thank you also to my fellow judges, Vicente Campini and Samuel del Amo, for sharing knowledge, conversation and three intense days of work.

A very special mention to Azucena Ballesteros, from the Ministry team, for all her work coordinating everything, from travel arrangements to the smallest details.

And, of course, my admiration for Alimentos de España and its director, Jose Miguel Herrero, for the work they do to promote Spanish food and the image of our country, those of us who live outside Spain value this deeply.

A heartfelt thank you to Azucena Ballesteros for making this possible for the second consecutive year.

Why this matters

We live in a time when many people buy food without knowing the story behind it, competitions like this remind us that excellence does not appear by accident. It is the result of years of work, knowledge, respect for tradition and passion for doing things properly.

If we want Jamón Ibérico de Bellota to remain one of Spain’s greatest ambassadors in the world, we must continue supporting the people who dedicate their lives to keeping this level of excellence alive.

After three days tasting some of the finest Iberian Bellota hams in Spain, I understood once again that a great Jamón Ibérico is never just a product.

Behind every slice there are years of patience, respect for the animal, work in the countryside, knowledge in the curing process and a deep commitment to quality.

Being part of this judging panel has been an honour, but above all, it has been a privilege, a unique opportunity to keep learning from the people who protect and celebrate one of the greatest treasures of Spanish gastronomy.

To everyone involved at the selection of the best Jamón Ibérico de bellota: Congratulations and big thank you!!!!

Muchas Gracias!!!