Food Stuff

Ibérico Chorizo Under the Tree
Florence Fabricant

The Department of Agriculture has agreed to allow the import of products from the famed black-foot Ibérico pigs raised on acorns in Spain's rugged West. Jamones Fermín, a family-owned company near Salamanca, is the first to obtain approval and has started to slaughter the pigs. "If all goes well we may have chorizo by Christmas," said Don Harris, owner of La Tienda, a source for Spanish products. The glory of these pigs, the cured hams, will be available in about two years. "These products will require consumer education," said Raul Martín, an owner of Jamones Fermín. He added, "Not only are they more expensive, but they have a stronger flavor, and the hams especially have more fat."