The article below (with citation) was on FoxNews.com. Note that it
describes the ham as being a 15 lb 6 oz ham but that the British food
buyer for Selfridges says that "Every single gram will be savored ...".
Scouting around, I found that European sources call it a 7 kg ham. I
calculate that 7 kg would convert to 15 lb 7 oz, close to the
FoxNews.com value. I also found that the select pigs from which these
hams come are each given their own 10 ha grazing area.
http://www.selfridges.com/index.cfm?page=1158&articleID=18309&artname=Albarragena%20Ham
It's too bad that FoxNews could not just say 7 kg as did BBC, perhaps
putting the avoirdupois equivalent in parentheses. BBC is quoted in
http://neveryetmelted.com/2010/01/18/worlds-most-expensive-ham-on-sale-at-selfridges/
Jim
World's Most Expensive Ham Goes on Sale in London
Monday, January 18, 2010
The world's most expensive ham has gone on sale, complete with its own
DNA certificate as proof of authenticity.
The leg of Iberico ham, which weighs 15 pounds, 6 ounces, is on sale at
the food hall in Selfridges in London's Oxford Street.
The cost - a juicy $2,900!
The whole process began with 50 animals being specially selected by pig
farmer and ham expert Manuel Maldonado.
They were allowed to roam over fields in Extramadura in western Spain,
enjoying a diet of acorns and roots that help give the ham its
distinctive flavor.
After the pigs were slaughtered, the ham was salted and cured for three
years before going on sale in a hand-made wooden box wrapped in an apron
made by one of Spain's most exclusive tailors.
Andrew Cavanna, Fresh Food Buyer at Selfridges, said: "Connoisseurs will
appreciate the melt-in-the-mouth texture of this truly amazing Spanish ham.
"The leg may seem to have a large price tag but when you think about the
amount of care taken from breeding right through to the curing, it is
actually amazing value.
"Every single gram will be savored as one of life's incredible gourmet
luxuries."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,583265,00.html
--
James R. Frysinger
632 Stony Point Mountain Road
Doyle, TN 38559-3030
(C) 931.212.0267
(H) 931.657.3107
(F) 931.657.3108
