In everyday conversation, we often group everything on a charcuterie board together. Product descriptions call for more precise vocabulary: the cut of meat, how it is made and the format sold are different things. This simple map helps you find your way around the Jamones Paco Heredia selection.
Dry-cured pork ham is an anatomical cut; an embutido is put into a casing. Lomo embuchado shows that not every cased product is made from minced meat.
Ham and shoulder: start with the cut
Dry-cured pork ham comes from the hind leg; paleta, or shoulder, comes from the foreleg. They are anatomically identifiable cuts. Selling them boneless, diced or sliced does not turn them into sausages: this describes how you receive the product, not the stuffing of meat into a casing.
Embutido: the production operation matters
Technically, embutir means putting a meat product into a natural or artificial casing. Embutido therefore does not mean any cured meat. Nor does the word by itself establish Iberian breed, acorn feeding or an identical composition across products. These details need to be checked for each reference.
Jamones Paco Heredia for this article
Current selection from the related collection. Check format, weight and directions on each product page.
Jamones Paco Heredia
Current selection from the related collection. Check format, weight and directions on each product page.
View the collection →Lomo, chorizo and salchichón differ
Lomo embuchado retains a piece or its muscle groups; it does not need to start as minced meat to be a cased product. Chorizo and salchichón use chopped or minced meats and their own formulations. A slice’s appearance offers clues, but the designation and ingredients explain what you have chosen.
The selection follows the Jamones Paco Heredia catalogue. Check the collection for current products and their details.
Putting the vocabulary to work when shopping
For variety, compare Jamones Paco Heredia sausages and cured loin; for whole or sliced ham, browse the ham selection. Also check format, weight and directions: a familiar name is not a substitute for the product page. Reference for these distinctions: Articles 3 and 11 and Annex II of Spain’s meat-products standard.