Cristina Hodgson
SPECIALIST ham cutters from all over Spain will demonstrate their Iberian ham cutting skills this weekend (March 4-5) in Bonares, Huelva.
Eight of the best jamon cutters in Spain will gather this weekend in the quiet town of Bonares, situated east of the city of Huelva, and demonstrate the fine art of slicing Iberian ham in a competition that will name the maestro Iberian ham slicer in Spain.
The eight qualified cutters for the grand final of the Spanish Ham Cutters’ Championship are the following: Santiago Díaz (El Viso (Córdoba); Francisco Javier Ruiz, from Cobisa (Toledo); Alberto Sánchez, from Los Santos de Maimona (Badajoz); José Antonio Romano, from Utrera (Sevilla); Antonio J. Ortuño, from Huercal de Almería (Almería); Antonio Fonta, from Torreperogil (Jaén); Juan Carlos Garrido, from Dos Hermanas (Sevilla); and Francisco Ortiz, from Mijas Costa (Malaga).
The art of cutting cured ham requires knowledge and a particular skill set, and the eight contestants will be judged this coming Sunday, March 5, by a panel of experts who will base their results primarily on the way the ham is sliced as well as the quality of the dishes that are created with it.
According to the deputy mayor of Bonares, the championship will be held over two days, March 4-5, and has two distinct parts, a recreational part and activities parallel to the championship, and the grand finale which will be held on Sunday.
READ MORE:
- Ham-carving competition in Huelva declared best in Spain—followed by Ronda
- Spain’s unique hams from the black Iberian pig
