El Cortador

There is an art to cutting jamón properly, and the master of this art is called a cortador. Cortadores cut wafer-thin slices along the grain, creating pieces around 3 cm (1¼ inches) wide called lonchas.

In Spain, cutting jamón is a full-time position. Cortadores work in restaurants, bars, and for events companies; some beer companies may even have a full-time jamón cutter in their hospitality and promotions department. A while ago a friend of mine attended his nephew’s wedding, where there were 11 different cortadores cutting 11 different jamones for the 300 guests. One cortador I know travels the world with his knives packed in a violin case.