Alba Quercus Reserve, World's Most Expensive Ham
Filed under: Dining
Look hard enough and you can find the world's most expensive anything. From water and beer, to coffee and dessert , somewhere somebody is producing a luxe version. Today, we bring you Alba Quercus Reserve, the world's most expensive ham. You can't get it yet, but when it does become available in late 2008, the ham will sell for about $160 per pound - but you will have to buy the entire 13 pound ham or nothing at all.
How does one create the world's most expensive ham? Spanish ham producer Manuel Maldonado spoils his free-range pigs with a diet of high-quality acorns. The he slaughters them and cures the meat for two years - that's twice as long as his competition in the ham business. Exclusivity will add to the allure as Maldonado will produce just 80 to 100 legs of the 2006 Alba Quercus Reserve, so named for the year the pigs were slaughtered.
How will you know you are eating the best ham in the world? The pig's acorn diet will produce a ham that is rich in flavor and has an oily texture. As Maldonado says, "Ham provides us with life."
