Jambon du Kintoa

Jambon du Kintoa is a dry-cured ham from the French Basque country, produced exclusively from Basque Black Pied pigs. The production process lasts at least 16 months, including at least 10 months of maturing under natural conditions. The ham is characterised by a salt content of no more than 7 % in the semimembranosus muscle, a maximum moisture content of 60 %, and an intramuscular-lipid content of at least 4 % in the semimembranosus muscle.

About this designation

Jambon du Kintoa is registered as a PDO under file number PDO-FR-02166, with EU protection dating from 31 August 2016. The geographical area covers the entirety of the French Basque country and certain adjacent cantons and municipalities in the departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Landes, bounded to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the south by the western pre-Pyrenees. The designation applies exclusively to hams from Basque Black Pied pigs, a slow-growing, hardy breed of Mediterranean or Iberian type. Pigs must be slaughtered between 12 and 24 months of age. The cold carcass weight must be at least 100 kg, and the thickness of back fat between the 4th and 5th vertebra must be at least 25 mm. Pigs spend at least their final seven months in a ranging area within the geographical zone. Production requires a process lasting at least 16 months in total. At least 6 months must elapse from the week of salting to the week when maturing begins, and maturing itself must last at least 10 months in rooms open to the outdoor climate. The ham is rubbed with powder of the PDO pepper Piment d'Espelette before packaging. When marketed whole with bone and trotter, the length between the head of the femur and the tip of the leg must exceed 10 cm. Each whole ham carries a specific 'Kintoa' label attached to the head of the femur and a unique identifying number.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 31 August 2016 under file number PDO-FR-02166 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000016616).
• The production process lasts at least 16 months, of which at least 10 months must be maturing under natural climatic conditions.
• Only hams from Basque Black Pied pigs slaughtered between 12 and 24 months of age, with a cold carcass weight of at least 100 kg, may be used.
• The intramuscular-lipid content in the semimembranosus muscle must be at least 4 %, and the salt content in that muscle must not exceed 7 %.

HoReCa use

Jambon du Kintoa may be marketed whole with bone and trotter, boneless and whole, boneless and quartered, or sliced.