A whole leg of ham is good for 120 people,” says Michael Lopez, as his brother Mark prepares to slice a leg of Jamón Iberico de Cebo during a media event in Milky Way Café. “But even if there are only 40 people that whole leg of ham will still be consumed.”
Michael and his brother Mark are Maestro Cortador Filipino, a title of honor and respect in the erudite world of Spanish ham. That means they have been well trained in the art of carving a whole leg of Spanish ham, especially the much revered and much coveted Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, a ham so prized it has been named a national treasure of Spain.
That 40 people can consume a whole leg of ham is understandable, considering its exquisite taste, the sheer delight of biting into a slice of thin, transparent, rosy ham whose origin is that of a pig that had roamed freely in fields of green and eaten nothing but acorns from centuries-old oak trees during its privileged lifetime (or, in some cases with herbs and grains added to their diet). Considered of noble origin, the black-footed pigs are especially prized.
As master cutters, the brothers have had the pleasure of carving ham for the rich and famous all over the world. They are the official ham carvers for the Champions League in Europe. They’ve also met celebrities such as Julio Iglesias, Penelope Cruz and world famous pastry chef Paco Torreblanca. Once when they arrived with their legs of ham in Caracas for a special event, they were fetched at the airport by a bullet-proof vehicle.
The brothers also carve hams for wedding parties. This year they are already booked for 100 events in Spain.
Ham appreciation
Now they’re bringing their treasured Spanish hams and carving services to Manila.
“We want to share the art of appreciating jamón with our fellow Filipinos,” says Michael. Under the MCF brand they sell Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, Jamón Ibérico de Cebo and Jamón Serrano Reserva, as well as the more costly Cinco Jotas Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, which is 100 percent Ibérico, acorn-fed bone-in pata negra with Jabugo as the denomination of origin.
Since it’s important to maximize such exquisite legs of ham, it’s advisable to also hire a maestro cortador to slice the ham, in this case Michael and Mark. For carving ham, they use Arcos knives, says Michael, which is Spain’s leading kitchen knife manufacturer.
For those wishing to buy a leg of Spanish ham to serve on a special occasion, the price ranges from P2,100/kilo for Jamón Serrano Reserva (at 5.5 to 6.5 kg per piece) to P3,800 per kg for Jamón Iberico de Cebo, (7.5 to 8.5 kg per piece) and P7,900 per kg for Jamón Ibérico de Bellota (7-8 kg per piece).
Serve the ham with bread sticks (MCF usually serves it with picos bread sticks from Spain), thin crackers or toasts.
The best drinks to serve with the ham are Sherry, Champagne, Cava and red wine.
E-mail [email protected]; tel. 0908-9390499.
