uh
the new field is full of home and cork
oaks
there's enough room for everyone
it's important to armando that his pigs
get enough exercise
when they run around the fat is
distributed evenly through their muscles
in spring they prefer to eat fresh
clover
but from the autumn onwards the pigs
should eat bellotas acorns that gives
the hammocks nutty flavor
but we can calculate how many animals
they'll feed
the longer they eat nothing but acorns
the better the quality of the ham
this year the quality will be very very
good
one thing is troubling armando however
the cork oak crisis
he can't live off selling ham alone
breeding pigs simply takes too long
that's why he regularly peels the cork
bark from the trees and sells it all the
farmers of this area do that
but for some time now it hasn't really
been worthwhile anymore
fewer and fewer real corks are used for
wine bottles
many producers are switching to plastic
because it's cheaper
but that's a problem because the entire
ecosystem depends on us using the acorns
and the bark
[Music]
the first pig farmers are giving up and
are looking for work elsewhere
he goes to the ham factory in town as
often as he can
it's one of the oldest in the region
armando wants to see how his ham is
doing
he had 80 pater negra pig slaughtered
here around three months ago
[Music]
these joints are ready
but amanda's hams still need a lot more
time
they have to dry and ripen for up to
three years before they get the factory
seal
armando is walking through the factory's
sacred halls together with agricultural
vet carmen blanco
the ham spends the summer sweating out
its fat in the secadayro the drying room
it already smells delicious
the secret to making ham is a cold room
full of salt but not any old salt
[Music]
it's sea salt
it contains no additives
has the best salt fields in the whole of
spain
the salt refines the ham's flavor and
preserves it
although it's a risk not to use any
additives it increases the quality
i think natural production is best
the pigs were slaughtered
the joints spent a good week in the salt
now they're hanging in another one of
the factory's cold rooms
armando checks whether the salt was
absorbed well he doesn't want to see any
crusts or even mold
[Applause]
and i like the way they cut it here
after it's salted the ham stays in this
room for 40 to 60 days
only then will amando's hand be moved to
the secadero the last stage in the
production process
[Music]
armando sells his ham all over europe
but he keeps a few joints for the family
[Music]
daughter natalia is allowed to have a go
at carving the ham
carving the ham is a ritual for them
natalia is trying it for the first time
today
i must have been just as bad
it takes a lot of practice
served with the jamaan de belotta is
homemade goat's cheese and a glass of
red wine
a typically andalusian meal
[Music]
you