World's Best Ham by PataNegra.dk

In the heart of Bayonne, down a narrow street in the Petit Bayonne district, there’s a small workshop that smells of salt, wood, and time itself. It belongs to Pierre Ibaïalde, a craftsman who has spent over 30 years perfecting a product that many locals proudly call the soul of the Basque Country — the renowned Bayonne ham. A Life Shaped by Tradition Pierre didn’t just stumble into this. Born into a family of farmers in the Basque Country, he grew up in harmony with the rhythms of the land, the animals, and traditional customs. In 1990, he decided to open his own workshop. His mission was simple: keep alive the old ways of making ham, while showing curious visitors what authentic charcuterie means. Today, his workshop is more than just a place where meat hangs from hooks. It’s like a little museum of flavours. You can walk in, take a guided tour, see the old salting rooms, smell the curing hams, and, of course, taste them at the end. His shop next door offers not just ham, but sausag...