A European Showdown - Jamón Ibérico vs Prosciutto di Parma

We all love it when Italy faces off with Spain on the football field. These two footballing nations share an incredible 5 World Cup wins and 4 European Championships. Over 35 encounters on the field with each other, and they are neck a neck with 10 wins each. Clash of equals?

In many ways, their amicable rivalry extends off the field and into the culinary world with both countries known for producing the best cured hams on the planet.

It is time for a friendly showdown to discover who takes the crown.

Both equally prized by top chefs and foodies from New York to New Delhi, Spain’s Jamón Ibérico and Italy’s Prosciutto di Parma go head to head in a battle of pride.

The Teams:

Italy – The land of Michelangelo, Giorgio Armani, Pavarotti, Sophia Loren and not to mention your favorite TV chef, David Rocco. A country that brought you the best cars on the planet, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Ferrari, Zonda and the mighty Fiat 500. Rich in culture, steeped in tradition, and boasting the most popular cuisine on the planet.

Team Captain: Prosciutto di Parma – Considered by many as superior and more experienced than players from San Daniele or Norcia, Prosciutto di Parma is truly a world class player. Hailing from the Emilia-Romagna region, Prosciutto’s pinpoint accuracy can be attributed to his muscular hind legs which have been massaged with the finest salt and then bathed and left to cure for one whole year. Only the best athletes receive this much care and attention, resulting in a sweet-salty, but tender player that is idolized the world over. Prosciutto’s most defining feature is a crown shaped tattoo on his outer thigh. Prosciutto likes to hang out with team-mates, Melone, and Fichi (figs) but you can often find him lying on top of darling Bruschetta.

Spain – Home of Gaudi, Dali, beBee, Banderas and the world’s best chef, living legend, Ferran Adria Acosta. A country that brought you some of the worst cars on the planet – no Pagani Zondas here, but you do have the SEAT Ronda. But where our Castilian friends fail to impress in car manufacturing, they make up for in drivers – think Fernando Alonso and Jorge Lorenzo (MotoGP). This is a country that gave us Tapas, Fabada, Paella and for the sweet tooth, Turrón.

Team Captain: Jamón Ibérico – A truly world-class player, Jamón hails from the North West Spanish region of Salamanca. Since birth he was fed a healthy diet of cereals and bellota (acorns). This diet and his Iberian ancestry ensured Jamón to grow to enormous size, whilst being in the open countryside gave him quick and nimble skinny legs. He is know for his trademark black shoes (pata negra). Much like his opponent Prosciutto, Jamón’s legs were massaged with Andalucian sea salt, bathed, air dried, then rubbed with lard and hung to dry for up to 4 years. In his spare time, Jamón sometimes likes to be on his own with a nice glass of muscat wine from the Alicante region. He also likes to party with Bread draped with girlfriends Tomato and Olive (pan con tomate).

So my fellow bees, place your votes below and crown a champion. Will it be a long thin sliver of salty piggyness from Italy or the nutty and almost buttery shorter slices from Spain? Given the size of the crowd here today, this may be a forgone conclusion.

Dean Owen is Co-Founder of Quimojo, a revolutionary new concept in Global Campus Recruitment.