Ham in Colombia

- A Gastronomic story of the Colombian Ham industry

Pasto, a city located in the southwest of Colombia is the main region in the Colombian industry of the preparation of hams. Actually, Pasto has a history on the preparation of ham products that goes back to the 50's when a Basque mason, called Jose Torrontegui Alday, aged 28, arrived to Colombia.

He was born in Bilbao and he decided to live in Colombia attracted by the idea of becoming a builder. He worked in Bogota and Cali until the 60's when he was invited by a friend to visit Pasto, the capital of Nariño where he lived until 2003.

The history of the ham industry in Pasto began when he offered to his guests during a celebration in Pasto, a ham that he has dry-cured in his house for six months. The guests were so fascinated with the taste of the pork, unusual at the moment in Pasto, that they encourage him to start his own business marketing the product.

-Success in Colombia of the Serrano Ham prepared in Pasto

After decades on the business, the Serrano ham that is prepared in Pasto has succeed in the Colombian market. The hams are commercialized in Bogota and in the rest of the country. The secret of its success is simple: it's the only kind of Serrano ham in Colombia that is prepared following the Spanish tradition for its preparation which means that the Serrano Ham from Pasto is not industrialized during its preparation process.

-Ham preparation in Colombia, a tradition that comes from Spain

The types of hams that are used during the preparation are Iberian ones. The hams are prepared in the same way that they have always traditionally been made in Spain: using the hands and without any technology. Nowadays, closed chambers and specific lights are used during the drying process of the ham to regulate the temperature. However, in Pasto, the ham is prepared the same way as it was, 400 years ago: hung and cured over eight months.