Spanish ibérico ham is classified into four official grades regulated by law, based on two factors: breed purity and feeding method. Pata negra — literally “black hoof,” the informal name for the top grade — refers to ham from 100% purebred Iberian pigs that were finished on acorns (bellota) during the montanera season, the autumn and winter period when free-range pigs roam the dehesa oak forests of southwestern Spain and feed almost exclusively on acorns and natural pasture.
This feeding phase is what defines bellota ibérico. The acorn diet produces a fat with a uniquely high proportion of oleic acid — the same fatty acid found in olive oil — that gives bellota ham its characteristic silky texture, its ability to melt at room temperature, and its complex, nutty, deeply savory aroma. No other grade of ibérico ham, and no other cured ham in the world, replicates that profile. This is the product at the top of that classification.
Two ingredients. Nothing else
100% Iberian pork and Mediterranean sea salt. No gluten. No allergens. No GMOs. No nitrates. No additives of any kind. The complexity in the flavor does not come from the processing — it comes from the breed, the diet, and the time spent curing. Monte Nevado adds nothing to interfere with that. The label is clean because the product does not need anything else.
How Monte Nevado produces 100% Iberian bellota ham
Since 1898, Monte Nevado has worked with certified 100% Iberian breed pig farms in Spain, selecting animals based on breed purity, growth rate, and the quality of fat developed during the acorn-feeding season. Each leg enters the curing process individually and is monitored throughout by the master curers — the caladores — who assess its development and decide when it has reached its optimal point. The result is a bellota ham with full aromatic complexity, a deep, intense flavor, and the long, lingering finish that defines the category at its best.
The pre-sliced, vacuum-sealed format preserves that complexity from the moment of slicing to the moment of opening. Each tray delivers the same sensory experience as a freshly cut slice from the whole leg.
