One might argue this, but I personally believe the best cured type of meat in this genre is jamon from Spain. Italian prosciutto, Austrian and German speck, Portuguese presunto still take second place. Why do I like jamon and in particular jamon iberico de bellota so much? The intensity in flavour and "juiciness"(that's right, dry-cured meat which is juicy) is unparalleled. Eaten on its own, with some melon, bread or the more Catalan style Pa amb tomà quet, bread with tomato and garlic rub and a drizzle of olive oil, this stuff is mighty tasty.D
p.s: I'm not dead, though it feels like it... sometimes
