The Case for Fermin Ham

As many of you who have visited our shop know we are proud purveyors of the coveted Jamon Iberico Bellota. We lovingly refer to this fantastically expensive treat as meat sashimi. The only supplier of Jamon Iberico Bellota in the United States is a company called Fermin. The reason only Fermin can import Bellota is very simple: hams for Bellota live only in Spain and Femin has the only USDA approved slaughterhouse in the country.

So what does that mean for all the other regular serrano ham out there? It means the pigs are not from Spain. Spanish ham not from Spanish pigs but from pigs raised and salughtered outside of the country (often in Holland). The pigs are then transported to Spain for curing.

That means Fermin is the only producer of solely Spanish Serrano Ham. We like that. This fact is enough to make us want to switch producers. But wait! There's more! From Fermin:

"The curing process which results in the Fermín Jamón Serrano is completely traditional. The hams are cured in drying rooms with open screened windows, caressed by mountain air as it wafts through the area where the hams are hung.

Most other hams available today are hung in temperature controlled curing facilities, where the conditions are artificially engineered to reproduce the mountain climate. Not so with Fermín. These hams are cured by the change of the seasons and the action of salt over time."

What else do I need to say to convince you? It's worth a try. Available in St Paul immediately and coming to Minneapolis soon. $13.50 for 1/2 a pound is 50 cents more a pound than our old Serrano and we think well worth it. We dare you to try this against other Serrano hams in town.

Our Newest Artisan Cheese

A major part of being a cheesemonger is searching for new cheese to sell in our shop. We can't always rely on cheese distributors to find the best of what is out there. Whenever I travel somewhere I taste whatever cheese I can find. Before the St Paul shop opened I took a trip to New York City and visited the finest cheese shops in the city.

That said, I am appalled that non of those fancy big city cheese shops had discovered this gem from the midwest. I think it must be east coast bias and snobbery. Here is a hand-dipped (!) beauty from our neighbors right next door in Wisconsin. It has a sticker seal of approval proclaimin "Wisconsin Finest Cheese" on the wax rind.

It is, we are led to believe, American cheese. I think they're referring to the fact it is produced domestically but I cannot be sure. The descriptors on the front are "Pasteurized Process Colored". Sure we're disappointed that this is not a raw milk cheese and I am not entirely certain what "process" refers to, but I think the fact that they went through the trouble of coloring the cheese makes up for a lot.

This is a limited edition cheese for us. We only have one to sell but it is priced to move at $79.99. The sell by date (I think they mean ripe date) is 11-4-09 so I there is plenty of time to pick out your favorite bottle of wine and plan a majestic meal around this truly artisan cheese.