An increasing number of Americans have been seduced by Serrano ham. As a result, the product has permeated menus at wine bars and gourmet food markets, and become an increasingly common ingredient in forward-thinking restaurants.

Like anyone who has traveled the globe with a hearty appetite, I have a handful of favorite food memories. The best of them were discoveries or revelations, that would forever influence the way I want to eat. The dish or ingredient that I happened upon became something that I would crave from that point forward. Such is the case with Serrano ham.

I distinctly remember the small, dimly lit café in Barcelona where I found a small table by the window and attempted to navigate the confusing new menu. I was alone, and it was my first trip to Spain, so eating was indeed an adventure. For this particular lunch I choose the item described simply as "jamón." I had no idea what to expect: a sandwich? Hot entrée? Something similar to the salty, boiled ham of my Midwestern childhood?

When a large oval plate arrived completely covered with paper-thin slices of Portcolored ham, marbled with flavorful fat that seemed to dissolve on my tongue, I was hooked. I drizzled crusty bread with olive oil and sprinkled it with salt (that much I'd learned), and nibbled it alongside the intensely flavored meat. I remember scribbling in my journal that the flavor was more intense and concentrated than the hams I'd tried in France or Italy, and how those tastes melded perfectly with the luscious notes in my glass of Rioja. Like many others before--and after--me, I'd become one of the world's devoted Serrano ham converts.

On reflection, I'm surprised I didn't propose to one of the old men that spend their evenings expertly slicing the meat from the bone. There are worse reasons to forge a life long relationship.

Jamón Serrano, or sierra (mountain) ham, is a dry-cured Spanish ham traditionally served raw in very thin slices. A foreleg prepared in the same way is called paleta. There are almost 2,000 producers of Serrano ham in Spain. Any ham can be influenced by four things: the type of pig, the pig's diet, the part of the pig used to make the ham, and the way the ham is cured.

In 1990, eighteen Serrano producers formed the Consorcio de Jamón Serrano Español, which regulates production and ensures a consistent quality. Since 2000, the name Jamón Serrano has been controlled by the European Union, which protects the processing of this product (look for the mark TSG, which means Traditional Specialty Guaranteed). Unlike a wine appellation, this label does not apply to a specific region. If you want to buy Serrano from the consortium, look for the label that has an "S" in the shape of a ham, and says Serrano español. Serrano ham can be made from several different breeds of white pigs, such as Duroc, Landrace, or Large White. They are fed mainly cereals, and cured anywhere from 7 to 18 months.

Serrano ham should not be confused with its more expensive and acclaimed cousin, jamón Ibérico. Ibérico ham is made only from the Iberian pig, which is bred only in an area in Southwestern Spain and Southeastern Portugal. Although Iberian pigs are also fed some cereals, they roam the countryside and gorge on acorns during the last part of their life (which results in a particularly rich marbling). The curing process for Ibérico is longer, lasting anywhere from 14 to 36 months.

These days, there are two ways that Serrano ham is produced. The traditional method involves curing the ham in the cool, dry mountain air. The pig is slaughtered, the ham is rubbed in sea salt and hung for the appropriate length of time. The curing time is determined by the maestro de jamón (guy who knows what he's doing when comes to ham). The "ham master" tests the readiness of the ham by inserting it with a thin piece of bone that he smells and tastes. When the meat is ready, it's moved to a shed and hung where it's further cured. The hams are monitored until the flavor has fully developed, and the resulting climate changes that affect the temperature and moisture in the shed help develop the complex taste.

This old world process isn't possible for large industrialized companies. Instead, the largest producers cure the hams in a secadero, a drying area that is airconditioned to mimic fluctuating seasons and humidity.

One of the best tasting Serrano is aged 16-18 months (hams sold too soon taste raw), which allows the flavor to fully mature, water to evaporate, and the excess fat to drip and baste the inside of the meat. "It's worth paying extra money for extra months," says Don Harris, the president of "La Tienda" a gourmet website, www. latienda.com, devoted to various Spanish products. La Tienda, a family operation that Harris runs with his wife Ruth and sons Jonathan and Tim, has seen the demand for Serrano grow exponentially since the mid 1990's. "When we first put Serrano on the internet, Spaniards where the only customers, and they were delighted because they couldn't get it anywhere else. These days our customer base is much broader, and extends to mid-American home cooks."

Serrano ham is distinctively different from other hams like prosciutto. The latter is slathered with lard before being cured, so the meat is softer and more velvety. Cured in the open air, Serrano ham develops a deeper flavor, and it is less salty. Compared to Virginia ham, which is smoked, Serrano ham has 300% less salt.

Spain consumes more pork per capita than any country in the world, and there are various theories as to how this came to be. Some believe that pork consumption was a way of declaring your religion (Christians ate pork and made cookies with lard, Jews and Muslims didn't eat pork, and made cookies with olive oil). Regardless, the cultural habits were established long ago, and to this day, the ham is ubiquitous in homes and cafes, and a means for celebrating and socializing. Around Christmas, virtually all bars and cafes have a ham hanging from their ceiling. "It's a social thing," says Harris, who lived in Spain for several years, "A lot of Spaniards don't eat at home in the evening, after work they go to a café to join friends for drinks and tapas. Serrano is one of the main tapas, along with Manchego cheese and olives."

"In Spain, Serrano ham is, traditionally, not so much about cooking, it's about eating," concurs Daniel Olivella, the chef at San Francisco's B-44 Catalan Bistro. "In my country, Serrano ham is everywhere in the culture. Starting when you are a kid, you dream of eating a little slice of room temperature ham, the fat melting in your mouth. For most Spanish, when you think of eating ham, plain, sliced Serrano is the best. Many friends in Spain would think I was crazy for cooking with it. But as our cuisine has evolved, we are exploring more and more borders as cultures get mixed."

That's certainly the case in the US, where chefs are using Serrano ham as an ingredient in countless Spanish-inspired preparations. That's partly due to the wide variety of hams now available, including brands like Redondo Iglesias, Campofrio, Navidul, Revilla, Vitorino, Mitica and Montenevado, each one with a range of different ages of Serrano.

Chef Paul Petersen at the Gage Hotel in Marathon, TX, serves pan-roasted chicken livers with roasted red peppers, garlic, and Serrano ham on grilled bread with Manchego. Further east in Austin, TX, Courtney Fuqua, the pastry chef at Cissi's Market, a new gourmet store and deli, prepares a Spanish-style scone (using olive oil instead of butter) flavored with Serrano, Manchego, and orange zest. "I have been exploring savory scones since I started doing the pastries at Cissi's," says Fuqua, "and have meddled with several flavors." Fuqua admits that she first thought of using prosciutto as an ingredient for a new signature. "But I had recently read about substituting olive oil for butter in baking, so I went for a Spanish variation, using olive oil and changing to Serrano ham," she says. "I added Manchego cheese to help with flavor and moisture, and orange zest to accentuate the ham. The texture is a little different, and a bit drier than using butter, but I really love the flavor and have been working on increasing the moisture," says Fuqua.

As one of the most high-profile Spanish-born chefs cooking on the West coast, Daniel Olivella plays an active part in teaching and promoting the cuisine. The chef recently taught cooking classes at the Culinary Institute of America's Worlds of Flavor conference devoted to Spain, among other venues.

With a sophisticated Bay Area audience, Olivella strays beyond the Spanish habit of snacking on slices, and uses Serrano for more inventive preparations. "We currently feature Serrano in three different ways," says Olivella. "For an appetizer, I serve Serrano with four different types of melón, which are so beautiful in the market right now. As a special, I serve a pincho, or tapa, of pan con tomate." For the toast, the chef rubs bread with tomato and drizzles it with olive oil and salt, shredded salt cod, piquillo peppers, and Serrano before finishing it with vinaigrette made with a reduction of 20-year old aged sherry vinegar. Says Olivella, "I also like to wrap Serrrano around asparagus, grill it, then finish it with a drizzle of vinaigrette."

In the past, Olivella has also played off classic seafood-and-pork dishes favored in his native Catalonia. Sautéed halibut with piquillo pepper sauce is garnished with thin slices of crisp-fried Serrano; clams with salsa verde get a richer broth with the addition of ham. "When it comes to food, the Bay Area is a privileged place," says Olivella. "When I arrived in the States in 1979, everyone was eating prosciutto, and no one knew what Serrano ham was. Since then, I've watched the growth and acceptance of many Spanish products. My father would be surprised at the popularity and availability of Serrano, piquillo peppers, smoked pimentón, all these ingredients that have become staples in US kitchens."

Part of Serrano's menu appeal is its ability to meld with a wild variety of wines. Suzanne Goin, the chef at A.O.C. wine bar in Los Angeles, features Serrano, along with a range of other cured meats that compliment the wide selection of Spanish (and other) wines available by the glass.

"Serrano can go with a glass of Fino sherry, cava, or red," agrees Andy Nusser, the executive chef at Casa Mono and Bar Jamón, two Spanish concepts in New York City (Mario Batali is a partner).

"As our name suggests, we have jamón everywhere," says Nusser, "and any meat that's left on the bone goes to good use." Bar Jamón is a casual wine and tapas bar adjacent to Casa Mono, a more formal restaurant. Bar Jamón has two electric ham slicers, and the Serrano is served with pan con tomate, or toast rubbed with fresh tomato, EVOO and salt. At Casa Mono it's sliced by hand, which is more traditional. "Leftover Serrano scraps enrich countless dishes," the chef says. "The meat is diced up and braised with oxtail to become a stuffing for piquillo peppers. Diced Serrano also adds depth to a sauce for Braised Tripe in a cazuela (a traditional terra cotta cooking vessel), served with morcilla, blood sausage."

Thanks to increasingly well-traveled customers, Serrano's popularity extends beyond culinary destinations on either coast, into the Midwest. "Given our concept, a Spanish restaurant that specializes in tapas, it's a forgone conclusion that we serve Serrano, and it's a very good product," says Tyge Nelson, executive chef at Solera restaurant in Minneapolis. "I think of it as one of those formerly hidden culinary treasures that's coming around, in terms of people being able to recognize it." Solera features Serrano in many different ways, Nelson explains. "Thin slices of Serrano are served on our Spanish salami plate, along with cantimpalo, a chorizo-type sausage flavored with garlic and paprika, lomo, or cured pork loin, and soria, another chorizo with a harder cure." One of Nelson's best-selling dishes is Scallops a la plancha with Serrano and caramelized onions. In this signature, Serrano is used two ways: it's cooked until crisp and used as a garnish, and also heated on the plancha, or grill, until it becomes crispy but still chewy, like undercooked bacon, and served alongside the scallops. "Serrano is a nice salty counterpoint to the sweetness of the caramelized onion and richness of the scallops and saffron beurre blanc," Nelson says.

Mary Richter, manager of the cheese shop at Surdyk's wine store in Minneapolis, has seen sales of Serrano (they sell Redondo Black Label) increasing year to year. The gourmet market, which is attached to a large wine store, does "a huge lunch business," she says, and on the day we spoke featured a special sandwich of Serrano ham with fig preserves and Manchego on rosemary bread. "Customers have read about Serrano in food magazines, and seen it on the cooking shows," Richter says. "The demand is there, so we sell Serrano on tapas trays that also include olives, tortilla española, and shrimp with garlic. We also sample Serrano in the store with Spanish wines, and in our very popular tapas cooking classes."

Paula Disbrowe is a freelance writer and the author of Cowgirl Cuisine (Harpercollins). Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Cooking Light, among other major publications. She lives with her husband and menagerie of animals in Austin, Texas and the Nueces Canyon.