What is the most famous and best raw ham in the world? Here in Italy we have fantastic and renowned prosciutti, but if we talk about "Prosciutto" par excellence, we must, alas, set aside local pride and turn our gaze to the heart of the Iberian Peninsula, precisely to the Sierra de Gredos y Bejar mountain range between the provinces of Avila and Salamanca. In this area of west-central Spain, the production of Patanegra ham dates back to the 16th century, and today, just as then, the pigs graze freely in the "dehesa", a forest of holm oaks and oaks, where they feed on acorns (bellotas), pasture and aromatic herbs. Their natural diet, the fat marbled in the muscles from constant movement, and the purity of the wild, Mediterranean-origin breed give Patanegra hams their unique flavour, aroma and texture. We went to Avila to seek out the finest ham-producing company, Garrudo Benito SL, an award-winning family business that for generations has devoted itself to the processing of pork, both Iberico (Patanegra) and Serrano, following a strict quality-assurance protocol. In 2016 their Patanegra was proclaimed "el mejor jamón iberico de bellota".