There's ham, and there's Pata Negra Ham. To ham lovers around the world, Pata Negra ham, also known as Iberian ham, is the supreme ham of all hams, the ultimate in the pantheon of gastronomic cured hams. This Spanish ham distinguishes itself from the supermarket type cured hams due to its exclusivity, rarity, and most importantly, its winning taste.

What sets the Iberian ham apart begins with pig itself. The Pata Negra, "black foot" in Spanish, derives its name from the special breed of black-hooved pigs that can only be found in Spain and Portugal. These special pigs are raised on open ranges, known as the dehesa, and fed only with acorns from oak and cork trees. The Dehesa, the mountain forest, must have enough resources and space to allow the Iberian pig ample exercise and long walks, resulting in the infiltration of fat into the meat, and as a result, the famous marbling effect found in the ham. For every single black pig, one hectare of oak or cork trees is necessary for a sufficient amount of acorns for feed.

All of the above are the contributing factors to the Iberian ham's melt-in-your-mouth texture, distinctive aroma and intensive nutty flavor. Iberian hams are air cured instead of smoked, and as a result, a longer curing time compared with other hams is needed to ensure that the ham is not too salty in taste. A minimum of 24 months is generally required for the curing process, which can reach up to four years or more for top quality Iberian ham.

As with all great things, Iberian ham is separated by different grading. The king of all kings is the Puro de Bellota, ham made only from pure Iberian breed pigs, fed on acorns and cured for a minimum of 36 months or more. The Bellota ham comes from a 75 percent Iberian breed that are kept living under free-range conditions for 40 percent of the pig's life, and fed exclusively on acorns and vegetation from the Dehesa. Bellota ham is usually cured up to 36 months. Further down the Iberian grading ladder comes the recebo ham, made from pigs which are at least 75 percent Iberian breed, fed on grain during the final fattening process and cured up to 24 months, and the Cebo ham, made from Iberian pigs fattened only on grains and cured from 18 to 24 months.

If all this sounds too fantastical to non-Pata Negra converts, then beginners can get their first taste of this religion at the Pata Negra House counter, located inside the Great gourmet supermarket. Pata Negra House is the know-all of Spanish hams. Their Iberian hams are sourced from an Andalucian farm, built in 1948, which only produces a limited number of 200 Iberian ham legs a year.

So you can be assured that this is the go-to for the ultimate Spanish ham epiphany experience. Shopping browsers can taste and experience this hand-cut Spanish ham, or simply enjoy a meal right then and there. With only a few seats available at this gourmet bar, diners can indulge in a tapas-like dining experience by giving the Pata Negra House Tasting Menu a try. On top of the expected ham selection, other Iberian charcuterie includes the lomo iberico sausage, made from marinated Iberian pig and cured for four months, the chorizo iberico, the famous Spanish sausage, as well as the salami iberico, all made from Iberian pig meat.

A typical tasting menu at Pata Negra House will start diners off with a traditional Spanish soup, and progress to white pig salami, and an order of sweet garlic. Next up, octopus, tuna belly and toasted bread with black olive paste. Finally, the highlight of the meal, various Iberian delicacies, salami iberico, chorizo iberico and Iberian ham cured for 24 months and more. And if your palate is screaming for a non-ham stimulant, then another Spanish specialty, the manchego cheese, six and nine months cured, should do the trick. Book ahead to experience this menu with one glass of wine at HK$370 or two glasses of wine at HK$420.

(HK Edition 11/19/2008 page4)