The Ham Curers

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SALTING OF BAYONNE HAM, AN ANCIENT CRAFT

The salter is an artisan who, by respecting the seasons and ancestral techniques, elaborates an exceptional ham of unparalleled renown after long months of maturation.

The geographical area for the production (salting and maturation) of Bayonne ham is strictly delimited to the Adour Basin: the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department (64) and a few cantons bordering the Adour River in the Landes (40), Gers (32), and Hautes-Pyrénées (65) regions.

The 28 curers in the Bayonne ham sector are all located within this area.

It’s all about maturation

A flavorful and melt-in-your-mouth delicacy, Bayonne ham has stood the test of time. It is prepared solely with the pig’s thigh, salted, and left to dry for several months. The drying and maturation times depend on the curers, whose production secrets influence the taste of the ham.

CURERS,
A TRADE PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS

Michel Dupuy Cured Meats

Elizaldia Farm

Maison Montauzer

"I have no particular training in cured meats; I just had the desire to learn about my profession. I joined my uncle in 2008 during the construction of his new workshop in Sault-de-Navailles. I learned a lot by his side and also a lot by making mistakes!"

"I work at Elizaldia Farm. It's a continuation of what we had seen from our home: farming, processing. After school, we naturally came back and continued to do what we've always known, what our parents did."

"I have been working in sales at Maison Montauzer since 2017. We are the fourth generation of Maison Montauzer, a craft charcuterie founded in 1946 by our great-grandfather. Since I was little, my father regularly takes me to the drying rooms to touch and smell the hams, so he passed on to me the passion for ham. For me, it was obvious to work in the family."

The Ham Curers

SALTING OF BAYONNE HAM, AN ANCIENT CRAFT

CURERS, A TRADE PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS

CURERS,
A TRADE PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS